Camino’s Richard Bigg honoured by Caballeros

Spanish food and wine pioneer Richard Bigg, founder of the Camino Group, has been invested into the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino along with two others.

Winemaker Norrel Robertson MW has joined the Gran Orden de Cabelleros del Vino

Bigg was honoured by the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino for his outstanding contribution to Spanish wine promotion in Spain and the UK.

“I’ve been thrilled to discover ever more about Spanish wines for a long time, and it feels wonderful to be a part of such a prestigious group,” Bigg said of the honour.

Camino’s Richard Bigg has been named a Caballero

Two other Spainsh wine champions also entered the group – winemaker Norrel Robertson MW and Manuel Muga, executive vice-president of Bodegas Muga in Rioja.

“It’s a pity that the present situation with Covid has prevented us from celebrating an event that gives so much recognition and prestige to Spanish wines,” Muga said.

Robertson MW added: “It is a great honour to be invited join such an illustrious group of professionals who have given so much to Spanish wine.

“I have had the privilege of bringing up a family and setting up a business in Spain, and hope that together we can keep on communicating all that is great about Spanish wine, culture and lifestyle.”

The new recruits into the order will be honoured in public at the Caballeros’ annual investiture dinner in 2021, which was unable to take place this year.

“We are delighted to welcome three exceptional Caballeros: Richard Bigg, who is a dynamic ambassador for Spanish wine in the on-trade in the UK; Manuel ‘Manu’ Muga, who has transformed his family business into an internationally recognised symbol of fine Rioja; and Norrel Robertson MW, an award-winning winemaker and highly-regarded consultant winemaker across Spain,” said GOCV chair, Sarah Jane Evans MW.

The Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino was founded in 1984 and currently has 69 members in the UK and Spain.