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Tasting Victory: The Life and Wines of the World's Favourite Sommelier (Commemorative Edition)
Hardcover
Culinary BiographiesBiographies GeneralWine
Publisher Price: $35.00
ISBN13: 9781917084772
Publisher: Academie Du Vin Library
Published: Mar 2 2026
Pages: 288
Weight: 1.36
Height: 1.19 Width: 6.07 Depth: 9.30
Language: English
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
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.
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