Gerard Basset - Know It All Wine: The 50 Essential Topics, Each Explained in Under a Minute

My journey to the world of wine began twenty years ago, when I was appointed to a beverage alcohol buyer position. Although I was an experienced merchant, I had limited wine knowledge and was facing an enormous learning curve. Determined to learn all that I could, I was astonished at the range, and depth, of the many variables of the wine industry. I not only needed to learn the business overall, but also the important details surrounding soil, viticulture, vinification, grape varieties, and the regions they reside, and a host of other fascinating disciplines.

In my early days as a buyer, I reached out to as many individuals as possible in an effort to learn the business. The volume of information was overwhelming, and I needed to become a sponge to absorb the knowledge available to me. I read numerous wine books and all the relevant trade publications. I attended all kinds of trade tastings, harvest festivals, and visited many wineries. More importantly, I asked a million questionsfrom the most elementary to the most insightful.

Throughout my travels, Ive had the privilege of meeting producers both big and small. Clearly, the common thread among them is to produce the highest quality wine possible given the incredible diversity of their vineyards. As impressive, and educational, that these diverse wine properties can be, its the families and individuals that care for the land that are most extraordinary. I am grateful to have toured vineyards and cellars and tasted wines with some of the most notable producers, such as Robert Mondavi to Christian Moueix to Marchesi Piero Antinori. I have grown from their generosity in sharing their knowledge and passion for wine.

Some of the best resources in my learning curve have been some of the most accomplished and knowledgeable Masters: Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. These Masters have spent years studying every facet of the wine business from regions, soil, farming practices, and grape varieties to the foundations of retail and restaurant success. The Masters abilities to taste and evaluate wines are nearly supernatural. Grard Basset is only one of four individuals, worldwide, to be a Double Master, having earned both Master of Wine and Master Sommelier. Simply put, I was thrilled the day I met Gerard. He is both brilliant and entertaining and exceedingly generous in sharing the wealth of his knowledge of wine.

As a purchaser for a large retailer, I have the utmost appreciation for consumers. A very important part of my wine journey has been observing and learning about consumer behavior. What influences their wine buying decisions? What do they like to drink? How much are they willing to explore? Today, consumers are rewarded with quality wines in every price range. Furthermore, technology has provided unprecedented access to information about wines from the world over, and wine lovers have never had better tools to enhance their knowledge.

This book is a perfect tool to help build knowledge and to discover your passion for wine. To your health!

Grard Basset OBE

Wine has a long, rich, and truly fascinating history.

This remarkable beverage has quenched our thirst, heightened our passions, and loosened our tongues ever since people in ancient Mesopotamiaor perhaps even beforefirst trod grapes and drank this elixir. Wine is the drink of conviviality, of celebrations, of success, and of gatherings great and small; wine is sensual and sensorial. But why should the soil in a vineyard plot mean so much to the contents of our glass? What alchemy turns this juice from the humble fruit of the vine into a drink capable of being cellared for decades? While wine generates much interest, the myriad grape varieties and wine styles can be bewildering and the language of wine can seem mysterious, too.

This book decants the subject, revealing the art and the science behind crus and clos, racking and riddling, and providing important insights into Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barossa, Tuscany, Napa, and other leading wine regions, because fine wine is now produced in many parts of the world, from Brazil to China. This accessible book also gives a flavor of other intriguing aspects, including the various key factors that contrive to make possible the vastly different styles of winesdark and tannic, fresh and light, bone-dry, nectar-sweet, sparkling or stickyhow the industry recovered from some seriously crippling events during its long history, as well as some unfamiliar details of the business of wine.