On April 29th, David Schwarzwälder was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Civil Merit for his outstanding dedication to Spanish wine. The ceremony took place in St. Gallen, Switzerland; the order was presented to Schwarzwälder by the current Spanish Ambassador, María Celsa Nuño.
The specialist in Iberian wines, who lives in Spain and Alsace, began his career 37 years ago as a freelance editor at Meininger Verlag and is today considered one of the leading authorities on the Spanish wine sector worldwide. In 1999, the specialist journalist became the first foreigner to win the Spanish tasting award 'Nariz de Oro', which brought him international recognition.
Besides various teaching activities, he has authored and co-authored several books and writings, wine reviews, and articles on Iberian wines, and continues to contribute to the trade journals ‘Weinwirtschaft’, 'Meiningers Weinwelt', and 'meiningers sommelier'. Furthermore, he enjoys an excellent international reputation as a presenter and wine speaker.
The Spanish Officer's Cross recognizes special achievements and merits in the civilian sphere; recipients are selected by the King of Spain himself.
