Gérard Basset OBE, editor, is currently the only person in the world to hold the combined titles of Master of Wine, Master Sommelier, Wine MBA, and the World's Best Sommelier. Trained in Lyon, he became head sommelier at a Michelin-starred hotel in England and went on to co-found the Hôtel du Vin chain. Basset was honored with the OBE in 2011 for services to the hospitality industry and named Man of the Year by Decanter magazine in 2013.

The bestselling 30-Second series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about those subjects you feel you should really understand. Each title selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50 most significant ideas at its heart. Every idea, no matter how complex, is explained in 300 words and one image, all digestible in just 30 seconds. 30-Second Wine uses this unique approach to decant the subject for everyone. Compiled by wine experts, not elites, this beginners guide serves up all you need to read the message in the bottle in 50 small sips or rather, a mere 300 words and one picture. Heres how to enjoy wine without the waffle, all the way from Appellations of the old world to Zinfandel of the new.