Pedro Ballesteros

Pedro Ballesteros Torres (Quart de Poblet, Valencia, 1961) was the first Spaniard to earn the prestigious Master of Wine (MW) distinction, awarded by the Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. While his professional career focused primarily on environmental and energy issues, he masterfully balanced his passion for wine with his role in the European Commission’s Energy Committee. His lifelong commitment to learning and his deep interest in wine drove him to achieve one of the most challenging and respected academic titles in the world of wine.

Drawn to the agricultural and food industry, Ballesteros pursued a degree in Agricultural Engineering in Madrid and later earned a Master's in Oenology and Viticulture. He expanded his education at the WSET Academy in the Netherlands and became the second Spaniard to graduate as a Weinakademiker in Geisenheim, Germany. With this impressive CV under his belt, Pedro Ballesteros began to take part in judging panels in prestigious international competitions, such as the International Wine Challenge in London or the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

A true passion for wine

Always carried out as a hobby in parallel to his work as an environmental and energy consultant, Pedro Ballesteros, motivated by his “passion for wine and always itching to do something more” decided to study in order to obtain one of the most highly esteemed and exclusive academic distinctions currently available in the world of wine, the title of Master of Wine. The title of Master of Wine, granted by the UK Institute of Masters of Wine, covers every aspect associated with the wine world, from technical and organoleptic topics, to those concerning the market and retail. Currently made up of 416 members from 31 countries, the Institute brings together the world’s most exceptional experts in the wine industry and is deeply committed to disseminating knowledge about all things concerning wine. For Pedro Ballesteros, the experience has given him the opportunity of meeting the greatest experts from the world of wine, of visiting wonderful places and of learning about, as well as being able to taste, “glory in liquid form”.

Ballesteros is convinced that the care and attention given to the land as well as the respect shown for the environment ought to be much more than just a business option and become a reason for being; whose final aim lies in transmitting this quintessential quality through the wines themselves. As an example of how this can be done, the expert cites the religious orders who founded quality viticulture: “A wine which is not the result of someone’s passion for the land has very limited interest, immaterial to the pleasant flavour it might have”. 

About Spanish wines

His opinion about Spanish wines is that Spain already has a head start in so many ways, which, with a little more commitment to quality issues and agricultural policy, should help it to become the world’s number one supplier. The Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino inducted Pedro Ballesteros as a new member in 2017. The Gran Orden recognizes professionals who have gone above and beyond to promote the Spanish wine industry in the UK, something that Pedro Ballesteros can be proud of having done.

Currently, Ballesteros is a member of the Council of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the Board of Directors of the Spanish Union of Wine Tasters, the Council of the International Federation of Wine Journalists, and the Wine Committee of the Basque Culinary Center, among other institutions. He also serves as Spain's national expert at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).