Richard Juhlin
Richard Juhlin
(Image credit: Richard Juhlin)

Decanter World Wine Awards regional chair Richard Juhlin has been awarded France's highest honour for his efforts to promote Champagne.

Juhlin was presented with the Legion d’Honneur by France’s ambassador to his native Sweden, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, in Stockholm last week. Lacroix paid tribute to Juhlin’s services to Champagne.

‘To be awarded such a prestigious non-wine related accolade, this is a real achievement and I’m extremely proud.

‘What I’ve been fighting for is to share the greatness of Champagne,’ he said, describing it as the greatest sparkling wine on earth.

Swedish-born Juhlin is the new Champagne regional chair for the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), and is widely known as a leading authority on the French region’s wines.

The Legion d’Honneur was created by Napolean Bonaparte at the start of the 19th Century. There are several ranks to the medal, and Juhlin has been given the highest rank of ‘chevalier’ – roughly the equivalent of a Knighthood from the Queen in the UK.

Generally, the Legion d’Honneur is only open to French nationals, although exceptions are made. Other recipients include Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia and the late Harry Patch, Britain’s last surviving veteran of World War One, who died in 2009.

Find out more about DWWA Regional Chair Richard Juhlin here.

Written by Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.