EDA Drinks & Wine Campus Establishes Expert Committee with Internationally Renowned Beverage and Wine Sector Professionals

EDA Drinks & Wine Campus held the inaugural meeting of its newly established Expert Committee at the Basque Culinary Center, bringing together specialists across the beverage value chain to provide diverse international insights on areas such as viticulture, production, marketing, management, and institutional coordination.

This Committee aims to offer strategic guidance to EDA on education, research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends within the beverage and wine sectors. With an open framework allowing for future additions, the committee initially includes twelve international experts:

• Mireia Torres, a pioneer in viticulture, wine production, and R&D with a global perspective;
• Pepe Hidalgo, an expert in viticulture and enology, consultant, and author;
• Dr. Liz Thach, MW, an internationally recognized management expert, professor, consultant, and Wine Market Council president;
• Juan Vázquez, a specialist in cooperative management;
• José Luis Benítez, general director of the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV);
• César Saldaña, president of the Jerez Denomination of Origin;
• Matthew Forster, MW, an expert in education, legal, and international wine regulations;
• Paco Berciano and Maribé Revilla, national wine distribution and import experts with Alma Vinos Únicos;
• Catriona Felsteald MW, senior wine buyer at Berry Brothers & Rudd;
• Mikel Zeberio, renowned gastronomic journalist and Basque Culinary Center collaborator;
• Pedro Ballesteros, MW, an expert in European wine regulations, writer, and consultant.

EDA Drinks & Wine Campus envisions this committee as a platform for exchanging knowledge and perspectives to enhance the sector’s collective progress. This first hybrid-format meeting allowed the Committee to craft a shared vision for the beverage and wine industry's future and solidified EDA’s role in creating educational, research, and innovation value for the sector. Additionally, this session helped define collaborative strategies that align sector needs with EDA’s educational and innovative capabilities.

A Significant Step Forward for EDA
Joxe Mari Aizega, Director of the Basque Culinary Center, expressed, “It’s exciting to advance with the involvement of prominent international professionals on this journey. Expert knowledge forms the cornerstone of EDA Drinks & Wine Campus’s development, driven by a global vision and a commitment to excellence, propelling us toward continuous growth and innovation.”

This Expert Committee aligns with EDA’s foundational commitment to establishing alliances and synergies with prestigious professionals, leading companies, wineries, viticulturists, universities, and research centers. It aims to foster an international collaboration network, attracting and developing talent within the wine ecosystem.

EDA Drinks & Wine Campus, a unique project born in Euskadi with an international outlook, interdisciplinary focus, and comprehensive vision, will leverage insights from this Committee and the Council of Wineries to guide its strategic directions, identify opportunities, and create spaces for dialogue and action to drive sectoral progress.

Through its meetings, the Committee will engage in strategic discussions on industry topics and EDA Drinks & Wine Campus’s activities, establishing itself as a reflective group aligned with its mission to advance the wine and beverage sectors.