The New Forest’s latest hotel, the TerraVina, is the brainchild of Gerard and Nina Basset. Gerard was one of the founders of the Hotel du Vin chain of hotels and he brings that flair for good food with great wines to this hotel, together with a relaxed modern Californian ambiance.

The hotel uses local, organically-grown lavender for the hand-made toiletries as well as eco-friendly housekeeping products, while in the kitchens, organically-grown free-range local produce is always the preferred choice. Gerard and Nina are delighted to share their venture with guests, old and new.

In addition to his restaurant expertise, Gerard is a well-recognised wine specialist. He holds Master Sommelier, Master of Wine and Wine MBA awards. In 1992 he won the Best International Sommelier for French Wines (Paris), in 1996 he won the Best Sommelier of Europe (Reims) and in the World Sommelier Championship he has finished twice 2nd in 1992 (Rio de Janeiro) and in 2004 (Athens) as well as 2nd equal in 2007 (Rhodes).