A bit about our Vice-President…Nina Basset:
Continuing our ‘meet’ the UKSA team, I’d like to introduce the busy and fascinating lady that is our Vice-President Nina Basset…
Nina Basset FIH was recently named in the top 100 influential people in the UK Drinks industry. She is a Hotelier, Mentor, Co-Founding Trustee and Chair of the Gerard Basset Foundation, Co-Founder and Vice President of the UK Sommelier Academy
Nina is a seasoned hotelier, restaurateur and wine enthusiast. She holds the accolade of being the youngest ever (at only 21), AA Hotel and Restaurant Inspector and was the winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Business before she was 40.
She helped co-found Hotel du Vin with her late husband Gerard Basset and his business partner, Robin Hutson and she went on to run an award-winning boutique hotel, Hotel TerraVina with Gerard for many years, with a strong emphasis on wine and service.
Her love of fine wine and her passion for Sommellerie stems from all of her holidays being spent with her husband, the much loved, renowned sommelier, Gérard Basset,
OBE, in various vineyards across the world. Living with such a wine legend ensured that his passion and enthusiasm for all things vinous rubbed off on Nina.
Throughout many years Nina has maintained strong links with ASI and its worldwide community of Sommeliers and most recently Nina helped to co-found the ASI-affiliated United Kingdom Sommelier Academy, where she is Vice President. She was the interim General Secretary for ASI between Oct 22 and July 23 and remains involved with ASI, helping them in many aspects associated with the Board and Marketing and Comms.
Nina is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and the co-founding Trustee of the Gerard Basset Foundation, https://gerardbassetfoundation.org/. The Foundation was set up in honour of Gerard and funds education, learning & career opportunities for young wine, spirits and hospitality professionals with a focus on global diversity, equity & inclusion-related wine, spirits & hospitality industry educational and professional programmes.