Tasting Victory (Commemorative Edition) : The Life and Wines of the World's Favourite Sommelier

Arguably the greatest wine professional of his generation, Gérard Basset was a World Champion Sommelier and the only person ever to simultaneously hold the Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and MBA Wine honors. This is his story, warts and all, an inspirational tale of a man who started at the bottom.

"One of the world’s greatest authorities on wine." -- Raymond Blanc OBE
"The finest nose in Europe." -- Daily Telegraph
"A true wine legend who gave so much to so many, both personally and professionally." -- Decanter
"The godfather of British sommeliers … he was not just universally respected, but universally loved." -- Imbibe

Gérard Basset came to England in 1977 to see a football match and found he didn’t want to leave. He took any job he could find in kitchens around the country, but soon discovered a passion for front-of-house, and threw himself into learning everything about wine and immersing himself in the world of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Tasting Victory charts Gérard’s astronomical career in his own words. It recounts in detail how he managed to earn his unprecedented sequence of qualifications: he was one of the first individuals to hold the famously difficult Master of Wine qualification simultaneously with Master Sommelier and an MBA in Wine Business. But it is his pursuit of the most important award of all that forms the core of this book – how, at his seventh attempt, Gérard Basset was crowned the Best Sommelier of the World.

This memoir is not only the story of the making of a champion, but also a record of how fine dining in England grew from stale and unexciting to world-leading. Above all, it’s about succeeding against great odds: when he was diagnosed with cancer, Gérard responded in typical fashion, by deciding to write Tasting Victory, which he completed shortly before his death in January 2019.

Gerard Basset OBE was a multi-award-winning sommelier who, at the time of his death, was the only person in the world to hold the combined titles of Master of Wine, Master Sommelier, Wine MBA and Best Sommelier of the World. Basset co-founded the innovative Hotel du Vin chain and the much-loved boutique hotel, Hotel TerraVina. Basset’s previous book was The Wine Experience. https://gerardbassetfoundation.org