Quick Facts
Biography
Paolo Basso (born October 31, 1966) is a Swiss-Italian sommelier who won the Best Sommelier of the World title in 2013.
Biography
Basso, winner of the ‘ASI Best Sommelier of the World’ title in 2013 is an internationally active consultant for luxury hotel groups and Air France airline, Nespresso, Acqua Panna & S.Pellegrino, Carrefour France and helps to promote Swiss wines in collaboration with the organization Swiss Wine Promotion.
Born in Italy, he currently lives in Switzerland and he holds double Italian and Swiss citizenship. Basso is one of only six sommeliers in the world to have won both the European and global titles for ‘Best Sommelier’ and among the rare few sommeliers to have reached the final level of an international competition eight times. In 2014, the Grand Cru Committee of Italy, the most prestigious wine producers association in the country, crowned him ‘Sommelier of the Year’. In 2016 he has been awarded by ALMA & Fondazione Cologni as Maestro d’Arte e Mestieri. He is also member of the technical committee of the International Sommelier Association (ASI).
Member of the jury of the most prestigious international tasting competition like Decanter World Wine Award in London, the Swiss Wine Grand Prix in Switzerland and 5 Stars Wines Award at Vinitaly, he also works as lecturer and wine teacher at the Wine School in Changins, Switzerland, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and at the Worldsom Sommelier Academy in Bordeaux, and has been guest speaker at many seminars and gastronomy events.
He currently start a new activity as a wine producer in Switzerland with his two first wines dedicated to his daughter “Il Bianco di Chiara” and “Il Rosso di Chiara” and launched a line of Italian wines with its own label. He also runs his own wine consulting company Paolo Basso Wine in Lugano, Switzerland.
He is the author of two books:
- Sommelier’s Heaven: the greatest wine cellars of the world
- Le vin selon le meilleur sommelier du monde
Career highlights
- 2013. World Best Sommelier 2013
- 2010. Best Sommelier of Europe
- 1997: Best Sommeliers of Switzerland