Two Dutch Wine Professionals Honored at Gran Orden de Caballeros Event in the Netherlands

Hubrecht Duijker and Adrian Zarzo Habraken were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Spanish wine industry

A very special ceremony was recently held at the Spanish ambassador in the Netherlands’ residence at which two local professionals were recognized with diplomas and awards at the first edition of Spanish Wine’s Gran Orden de Caballeros event.

The diplomas recognize those people who have exhibited a true commitment to promoting Spanish wines in their home countries. The honorees on this occasion were Hubrecht Duijker and Adrián Zarzo Habraken.

Hubrecht has more than four decades of experience in the wine industry, and is a well-known journalist and writer in the Netherlands. He has written several articles and books about Spanish wine, among them The Wines of Rioja and Spanish Wine Atlas, the latter winning the Julia Child Award for the Best Wine Book in the US. He received Spain’s Order of Civil Merit.

Adrián is a famous chef and sommelier, and he runs the Michelin-star restaurant ZARZO in Eindhoven. He recently opened a second restaurant in the same city called VALENZIA.

He represented the Netherlands at the 2015 Copa Jerez and won in the Best Chef category. Said Habraken, “I continue to be inspired by the purity of Spanish cuisine and my dishes reflect a search for serenity and balance.”

Around 50 trade professionals attended the ceremony, including Fernando Arias, the ambassador; María Naranjo Crespo, the Director of Foods, Wine and Gastronomy at ICEX; and Eulalia Ortiz, the Economic and Commercial Counselor. During the event guests could taste great cavas from DO Cava, and wines from DO Rueda, DOCa Rioja, DO Ribera del Duero, and Sherry wines.