Allwinestories proudly presents Nina Basset FIH, Co-Founting Trustee, Chairwoman Gerard Basset Foundation, Vice President  of Academy Food and Wine Service, General Secretary of ASI - Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, Winner of Special Catey 2025.

From becoming the youngest-ever AA Hotel and Restaurant Inspector to co-founding Hotel du Vin, your career has helped shape modern British hospitality — what moments stand out as true turning points?

 I have loved every moment of my career in Hospitality. Whilst an inspector I was tasked with creating a new classification scheme, the AA Townhouse Collection, which was a very interesting project to work on and I was very proud when it was rolled out.

 Being involved in the creation of Hotel du Vin, Hotel TerraVina and Spot in the Woods have all been highlights. HDV was a new take on hotelkeeping in the provinces. We helped to make 3-star, mid-market hotels “sexy” and a place to enjoy a tasty meal, cooked with flair, as well as a stylish place to stay. The fact that the concept was widely emulated then and continues to be so is a testament to the clever idea that Gérard and Robin Hutson (our business partner) had. It was very exciting to be involved and watch the concept evolve and become the great success it was.

 Being an integral part of ASI has given me many happy and proud moments and co-founding the Gérard Basset Foundation and the United Kingdom Sommelier Academy, following in Gérard’s footsteps, with Romané being involved too has been so rewarding and has helped me to remain part of the world of wine and Sommellerie, by fulfilling my roles within it.

 Throughout my career the stand-out moments have always involved our fantastic teams of people who chose to work with us. They were often young, but always committed, passionate and exciting to work with. They inspired us as much as I hope we inspired them and it is a feeling of great pride that so many of mine and Gérard’s protégés remain dear friends of myself and Romané to this day. We watched them grow up, mature, develop, flourish and shine in their chosen careers- now they are successful business owners in their own rights, or have very fulfilling and exciting careers, and I am a very proud “Mother Hen”- so to sum it up, my career has been as enjoyable as it has been thanks to the people who worked with me, all of whom helped create stand out moments throughout the past 40 years.

 Wine has been a constant thread throughout your life, deeply influenced by Gérard Basset — how do you think that shared journey continues to inform your work today?

When I met Gérard it was very clear that wine was going to become a very large part of my life- all my holidays were spent in vineyards, my days off were taken up with wine tastings, wine seminars and wine events, but I loved it. Whilst at Hotel Management School I had considered the wine trade as a possible career path and so I was thrilled to have the best of both worlds. I was working in Hospitality but also learning all about wine too thanks to Gérard.

I love the wine business and the many creative, fascinating people who work within it. The fact that now, thanks to Gérard’s legacy, I am involved in the wine industry and Sommellerie in my own right, through ASI and the Gérard Basset Foundation, is thrilling and I feel blessed to have been welcomed into the wine world so warmly.

For me to have been invited to be such an integral part of ASI after Gérard’s death touched me deeply. I will be forever grateful to ASI, especially William Wouters and his Board for offering me the chance to work with ASI so closely as both the General Secretary, (a position that Gérard himself held some years before), and latterly as Director of the Marketing Committee and Master of Ceremonies at the annual General Assemblies.

Previously, I had been peripherally involved with ASI for many years thanks to Gérard’s contest career- I have known many of the people who are now Presidents of their countries associations as fellow competitors to Gérard- we have all grown older together and they have become friends to me (and Romané) over the years and many of them have provided much comfort and support to us both since Gérard’s passing.

Co-founding the Gerard Basset Foundation has enabled us to help so many people across the globe, and in so doing keep Gerard’s legacy alive. Romané and I are incredibly proud of our scholars and grantees and all that they have achieved.

Gérard and I never discussed starting a foundation in his honour - he never knew my plans and so I hope that if he is looking down on us, he is feeling proud of the Gerard Basset Foundation’s and how many people’s lives have been touched through his legacy. Romané and I were very keen to continue to mentor and nurture people, through education, mentorship and a sense of community. I am delighted that in the past five years of the Foundation we have been able to do just that, and I hope Gérard would be delighted.

Photo Credit: Isabelle Anderbjörk @isabelleanderbjörk

 The Gerard Basset Foundation has become such an important global initiative — what does it mean to you personally to carry Gérard’s legacy forward?

 Romané and I are very proud of the Gerard Basset Foundation. We are so grateful to Gérard’s dear friend, Lewis Chester and his team at Liquid Icons, who create a spectacular annual fundraising event and donate the proceeds of the incredible auction back to the Gerard Basset Foundation, which enables us to do the work we do and help people across the globe in the Wine, Spirits and Hospitality industries. The support we receive from those industries is wide and generous and it would be humble for Gerard to think that so many of his peers and colleagues still remember him with such respect and fondness and are so generous in their help and support of the Foundation and in their friendships to myself and Romané.

 For me personally, being involved in the Foundation, working alongside my fellow Trustees, Romané, Jancis Robinson OBE MW and Ian Harris MBE, as well as Isabelle Anderbjork and Christian Holthausen, who are also important members of the Foundation team, along with Lewis Chester, Sasha Lushnikov, Liv Woodhouse and Clement Roberts at Liquid Icons, and volunteering with ASI and regularly meeting with all of Gérard’s many dear ASI friends and colleagues, it gives me great pleasure and a sense of worth to be so involved in what he so loved and held dear too. It keeps his memory and legacy alive and makes the terrible sadness of losing him more bearable and somehow makes sense of his premature passing- through a great loss we have created much positivity for others and Gérard would wholeheartedly approve of that, which makes me happy and proud.

 Many of the people that have become our scholars and grantees have helped to enrich mine and Romané’s lives. They are so inspiring in their determination, ambition and passion. I feel in awe of them all and humbled by their stories. I am touched by them and inspired to do better. I feel blessed to have met the people and had the opportunities that life post-Gérard has given me, thanks to his legacy and his passion.

 Through the Gérard Basset Foundation, you support hundreds of scholars around the world — how do you see education and mentorship reshaping the future of wine and hospitality?

Mentorship has always been integral to my career. I was mentored by many inspiring people, and I was always keen to pay it forward and when I had the chance and the experience to offer the same, I was keen to do so. To be educated and have the ability to learn within such fascinating, enriching and ever evolving industries is exciting, inspiring and allows you to develop personally and professionally. To watch people flourish, grow and develop and find their own path is so positive and the result is phenomenal for both them and their employers. Education and development can only improve the standards, quality and working environments within industry and in my view, it is vital for positive progression, personal growth and the sustainability of our wine and hospitality industries.

 Your roles with ASI and the UK Sommelier Academy place you at the heart of the global sommelier community — what challenges and opportunities do you see for the profession right now?

It has always been an exciting, rewarding and fascinating profession to be part of. It straddles hospitality, the world of wine, people skills, personal development and the need to love people- as such it creates challenges, rewards and possibilities all in one. Somms can shape the role to whatever they want it to be… it can be as narrow or as wide as they wish. They can encompass mentoring, training, development, cellar management, people skills, accountancy, human resources, sustainability, sales skills and negotiations all in one role. The role of a Somm, or the person who advises and serves the wine, in a multi-faceted front of house, F&B role is a vital one to help any establishment with profitability through customer relations, upselling, and positive promotion of the establishment.

The traditional role of a Somm is widening and is becoming still more demanding, as establishments expect many Somms to be multi-tasking and take on different aspects of the F&B, front of house tasks, but whilst that brings challenges, it also offers great opportunities too to learn, develop and enhance careers through gaining additional experiences and skills.

All industries have challenges at present, and many are facing changes and difficulties but those Somms who are able to weather the storm will have learned and honed many important skills to take with them as their careers develop. One must  be open to ideas, listen to customer demands as consumer patterns change and have the flexibility to adapt and embrace changes.

 Photo Credit: Matt Porteous Weddings/@mattporteous 

 Having recently received the Special Catey Award in recognition of a 40-year career, how do you reflect on success — and what kind of legacy matters most to you now?

I was completely surprised to receive the award, but delighted and grateful to have been nominated. Whilst Gerard was alive, I always preferred to be behind the scenes, ensuring everything worked and made Gerard’s life as easy as possible to enable him to pursue his contest career and I was happy for him to take centre stage in our relationship. After his death I felt I needed to fill the void that his passing had left and so I was forced to step out of the shadows to ensure that I could honour his name and keep his legacy alive. In doing so I discovered that I had skills and experience to draw upon that could make a difference to others and I loved that. When William Wouters then invited me to be part of ASI and Nicolas Clerc asked me to help him create a new, UK-based sommelier association, I now had the opportunity to offer my skills and experiences and become a mentor in my own right.

Gérard’s legacy is vital to the work we do at the Foundation- we always ask…. “What would Gérard do?” The legacy that is important to me remains ensuring Gérard is well-remembered and known to the many young Somms who never had the chance to meet him- I would love for them to know about his life and career and how he never let anything stand in his way.

May Gérard continue to be loved within the industries that he so loved… and if people might remember me for just a moment in time, and pay forward what I have tried to offer them through my own mentoring and work with the Foundation, then that will be my legacy and will make me grateful.

Editor Marinos Skolarikos January 30 2026

Photo Credits:  First photo by Matt Porteous Weddings/@mattporteous 

Second photo by Isabelle Anderbjörk @isabelleanderbjörk, third photo by Matt Porteous Weddings/@mattporteous