Farewell to Wine's Great Champion

With the passing of Gerard Basset on Wednesday, the wine world lost one of its most loved and respected figures at the tragically young age of 61.

A friend described him on Instagram as the "greatest and kindest sommelier who ever walked the earth" – Gerard's modesty would have made him cringe at such an assertion, and he would be one of the few people in the world who would dispute it. I hope the massive outpouring of grief and affection for Gerard through social and other media channels is some comfort for his wife Nina and son Romané.

Gerard was a gifted taster and, as an MS, an MW, MBA and OIV MSc (I once joked with him that he would need to get longer business cards), probably the most highly qualified wine service professional ever. He achieved the professional pinnacles of becoming the best sommelier in Britain, in Europe and finally in the world. Gerard filled numerous important roles in the wine world such as President of the Court of Master Sommeliers in Europe, co-chairman of the Decanter World Wine Awards and honorary president of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Decanter Magazine named him their man of the year in 2013.

He was a successful businessman, having co-founded the Hotel du Vin Group and the wonderful boutique Hotel TerraVina. He was honored by both the British and French Governments. Yet, for all his achievements, the essence of Gerard Basset was his modesty and his humanity.

I studied with Gerard Basset on the MW course in the 1990s. I have a clear memory of him sitting in an MW exam as we waited to open our papers – quietly organized, with a good luck card from his family on his desk and a worried look replacing his customary smile. The card probably shouldn't have been allowed in the exam hall, but demonstrated both his humanity and humility. We were not close friends, but whenever we met subsequently, he would take the time to talk; he remembered people's names, asked about family and business – he cared about people.

Gerard's achievements were largely the result of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Becoming a Master of Wine saw him take the exams several times before passing. The road to becoming Sommelier World Champion in 2010 saw him attempt the competition six times, coming runner-up no less than three times!

Gerard's charity and openness allowed him to span a number of sometimes competing worlds. He was one of only a handful of people to pass the exams to become both a Master of Wine and a Master Sommelier. He was honored for his contribution to wine by both the British (an OBE in 2011) and French governments (Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 2018). He somehow managed to be a very English Frenchman.

As co-chair of the DWWAs he would be called upon by panels to adjudicate over a wine's worthiness for a medal. When listening to him taste and assess a wine his tasting ability was obvious, but also evident were his honesty, fairness and desire to view every wine according to its merits. At the same time Gerard's innate modesty allowed him to listen and take account of the opinions of other tasters where appropriate.

Visiting Gerard's establishments both as a guest and a salesperson revealed meticulously assembled wine lists where wines at the bottom of the list were chosen with at least as much care as those at the top. His French heritage did not prevent him from thoroughly exploring the whole world of wine. Wines were offered at suitable stages of their maturity – the experience was invariably faultless.

The other impression I was left with after visiting Hotel du Vin and Hotel TerraVina was that the lists weren't simply assembled by a brilliant individual, rather that they were the product of a dedicated team working together; the quality of service didn't vary if he wasn't there. It is this that will be Gerard's memorial, he was generous with his time as a mentor to so many. Gerard trusted, nurtured and encouraged his teams. He was so free with his knowledge and happy to share it with wine lovers at every level as a wave of social media comments from wine professionals and sommeliers at every stage of wine education attest to his ability as a mentor. He travelled widely and the reaction to his death can be seen coming from all round the world.

Wine merchants and sommeliers are often portrayed as self-obsessed and unable to relate to ordinary consumers; Gerard Basset was the complete antithesis of this stereotype. Gerard believed his studies enhanced his ability to serve his customers. He wanted to help people to find wines to lift their dining experience to a higher level. He was all that the very best sommelier should be and his ethos and ideals will live on in a whole generation of young sommeliers and wine professionals whom he mentored and encouraged. In this he leaves an enormous legacy.

There is so much more that can and will be said about Gerard Basset but I will finish with the words of Olivier Chapman from the Institute of Masters of Wine, who said: "He was faultlessly modest, charming, dedicated and will be greatly missed."

Messages of condolence can be sent to the family at inmemoriam@culturalcomms.co.uk