Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino welcomes familiar faces
Historical organisation Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino has welcomed three new members, including Spain’s first and only female Spanish MW and Hal Wilson, owner of Cambridge Wine Merchants.
Known as Caballeros del Vino (knights of the great order of wine), new members are selected in recognition of their efforts to promote Spanish wines in the UK. This month's newly inducted trio were formally welcomed to the organisation at the 39th Annual Investiture Dinner at the Landmark London Hotel yesterday (13 June) in front of over 250 guests.
The new Caballeros were announced at the event as Almudena Alberca MW, an independent oenologist and consultant who develops new wines and brands across Spain, and Amaya Cervera, the owner and editor of Spanish Wine Lover, a bilingual website that educates people on the country’s wines. Completing the trio is Hal Wilson, owner of Harpers’ Top 50 Indies regular Cambridge Wine Merchants.
Their investiture comes at the end of a challenging year for Spanish wine. The changes to post-Brexit trading arrangements continue to affect industry growth alongside the ongoing challenge of climate change and extreme weather.
Addressing the members in his speech at the event, Pablo Conde, the acting chancellor for Gran Orden, said: “Without talented professionals championing Spanish produce, the industry couldn’t overcome the challenges it faces.
“By recognising professionals like yourselves for your role in the education, advancement and business of quality Spanish wines in the UK, we can play a fundamental part in the future of the industry.”
Created to raise the profile of Spanish wines in the UK, the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino celebrates each member’s dedication and passion for Spanish wines.
Alberca is currently the only woman to have achieved the Master of Wine title in Spain. With two degrees in agricultural engineering and oenology and a Master’s in viticulture, she has worked in various winemaking roles, including technical director at Entrecanales Domecq e Hijos.
Cervera is a University of Navarra graduate who built her journalism career writing and editing a variety of specialist magazines, including the Peñín Guide, Sibaritas and La Revista de Todovino. In 2014, she established Spanish Wine Lover, a website which has won the Best Online Platform at the IWC Spanish Wine Merchant Awards four times.
Wilson meanwhile started his business in Cambridge with a friend in 1993 at the age of 25. Particularly fond of Spain’s fortified wines, education is key part of Wilson’s business philosophy, as is his lobbying work championing UK-based SMEs, including removing barriers to trade.
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