Serge Dubs – Best Sommelier in the World 1989

At first, I was impressed when I had the chance to meet Gérard–not only Gérard, actually, as I met the team and couple that Nina and Gérard were, on the way to an international sommelier competition. One day, Gérard asked me to come spend a few days at Auberge...

Paolo Basso – Best Sommelier in the World 2013

With Gérard, I shared four world championships as candidates, and obviously there were many intense moments. The most significant was at the 2010 World Championship in Chile, when on the morning of the final we met up for a relaxing walk together. Discussing how we...

Eric Zwiebel – Sommelier, United Kingdom

I have lost my mentor, friend, confidant and spiritual father. I had known Gérard for 20 years. I think about what always impressed me, with Gégé, was the way he would tell or explain things. When I was preparing for competitions, he was always sacrificing his time to...

Philippe Faure-Brac – ASI Treasurer

The first time I was lucky enough to cross paths with Gérard Basset was during the 1989 Best Sommelier in the World competition in Paris, in 1989. A few months before the finals in Rio, in 1992, where I was going to represent France, he phoned me to ask if I could...