While nothing will ever replace a tasting, wine books are an excellent way to learn more about the subject. So, to guide you in your reading, we read “3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts” by Gérard Basset. The conclusion: this wine book, published in 2015 by Courrier du livre, is perfect to get started.

Who is Gérard Basset, the author of 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts?

Worth noting, Gérard Basset is a wine heavyweight. Born in 1957 and passed away at the start of 2019, he is the only person in the world to have held an MBA in wine business, a master’s degree in OIV sciences, the title of Master of Wine, as well as a Master Sommelier. Beyond these academic titles, Gérard Basset had also been voted best sommelier in the world in 2010, after being runner-up in 2004 and joint runner-up in 2007. Finally, the author of 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts was also named man of the year by Decanter magazine in 2013. So, a true legend of the wine world, Gérard Basset delivers an excellent synthesis of knowledge in the book 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts. !3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts - front cover and back cover 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts - front cover and back cover

What themes are covered in the book 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts?

The contents of this wine book are well stocked. This 160-page book spares no subject and will let you discover them little by little. Here are the contents of the themes covered in the book:

  • Terroir
  • The winemaker
  • Pruning and trellising
  • Phylloxera
  • Fermentation
  • Sulphur dioxide
  • Making white wine
  • Sweet wines
  • Making red wine
  • Fortified wines
  • Making champagne
  • Ageing
  • Corks and closures
  • Chardonnay and Montrachet
  • Riesling and Scharzhofberger
  • Sauvignon Blanc and Pouilly-Fumé
  • Cabernet Sauvignon and Château Latour
  • Pinot Noir and Romanée-Conti
  • Syrah / Shiraz and Hermitage
  • Tempranillo and Ribera del Duero
  • Nebbiolo and Barolo
  • Regional grape varieties and wine styles
  • The spiritual origins of wine
  • Monks in the Middle Ages
  • The meteoric rise of Bordeaux
  • Why does champagne fizz?
  • A century of crisis
  • The birth of the appellations
  • The Judgment of Paris
  • Bordeaux
  • Burgundy
  • Tuscany
  • Napa Valley
  • Rioja
  • Stellenbosch
  • Marlborough
  • Barossa Valley
  • Mendoza
  • Wine in emerging countries
  • Producers
  • Agents, brokers and wine merchants
  • Wine merchants
  • Sommeliers
  • Writers, journalists and wine critics
  • Investing in wine
  • Wines for laying down
  • Tasting
  • Food and wine
  • Wine and health

So, as you can see, this wine book leaves no one out and lets readers quickly and easily understand the big concepts of this world.

Why buy 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts?

First of all, Gérard Basset’s book 50 essential wine concepts is perfect for people starting out in the world of wine. So, whether out of simple curiosity or as a first step into this world, this book will give you excellent foundations and covers, with ease and a teaching touch, all the important subjects. Although it is not with this book that you will become a tasting professional, let alone an expert sommelier, 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts nonetheless gives you the basics and will even let you shine in front of your friends. At a price of just 18 euros, you can get the book 3 minutes to understand 50 essential wine concepts by following this link. To conclude, if you would like to discover other wine books, we offer a reading list that will help you build your knowledge in this field.