Spanish wine ‘knighthood’ for DWWA regional chair
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, wine critic and joint regional chair for Spain and Sherry at the Decanter World Wine Awards, has been knighted as one of the 'Caballeros' of the Spanish wine industry alongside Maria-Jose Sevilla.
Decanter writer and DWWA (Decanter World Wine Awards) joint regional Chair for Spain and Sherry, Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, was last night invested as a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino.
Ballesteros Torres received the honour at the 33rd annual dinner at the Dorchester Hotel in London along with Maria-Jose Sevilla who had been the former Director of Foods & Wines from Spain for 17 years. Amongst the guests and speakers were the new Spanish ambassador, Carlos Bastarreche and María Luisa Poncela, the Spanish secretary of state for trade.
The Order was founded in 1984 to recognise those people in the UK wine trade who have shown exceptional endeavour in promoting and supporting the wines of Spain. Five years later, the criteria for the Order were extended to include members of the industry in Spain who have shown similar commitment on a world-wide basis.
In total, there are now 61 Caballeros including Pablo Alvarez of Vega Sicilia, Javier Hidalgo of the eponymous Sherry Bodega, former Decanter Man of the Year Miguel Torres, as well as Oz Clarke and Sarah Jane Evans MW.
Ballesteros said that he was ‘completely thrilled honoured and humbled’ to have been made a Caballero in recognition of his contributions to Spanish wine.
He holds a degree in agrofood engineering and a masters in viticulture and oenology. Ballesteros Torres works in four languages and in addition to his work with Decanter is also a columnist at Spain’s Planeta Vino and Vino y Gastronomía magazines, as well as Vino! Magazine in Belgium.
He is active in the fields of wine promotion and education, and is also on the council of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the governing board of the Spanish Taster Union, and the wine expert committee of the Basque Culinary Centre.
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