A first-generation American, Martin has held influential roles in many sectors of the wine industry since 2002: wine director, importer, educator, international judge, winemaker, climate activist, and writer. His wine story began with an over-indulgent Parisian dinner as a Stanford undergrad; soon he was stocking shelves at his local wine wineshop. In 2011, Martin became the principal buyer for national wine club programs including The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, Williams-Sonoma and was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top Forty under Forty Tastemakers in 2015. After working harvest at Solomon Undhof in 2016, he became the winemaker for Sonoma-based Peter Paul Wines for seven years.

Highlights from Martin’s multifarious career include: being the first Master of Wine of Mexican descent in 2018, winning Best Paper at Vienna’s 2019 AAWE Conference for his research in consumer purchasing behavior, twice producing one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s “US Best Cabernets” under the Peter Paul Wines aegis… and twice being named one of Wine Business Monthly’s Industry Leaders for co-founding Wine Unify, empowering diversity, equity, and inclusion in wine and co-founding Napa RISE – a groundbreaking, community-driven symposium accelerating meaningful sustainability & climate action leadership in Napa County. In 2022, Martin became a Partner at WineWise, a well-respected importer responsible for bringing producers like Lopez de Heredia, Filipa Pato, and Tissot into the California market.

During his spare time, Martin occasionally writes (his work has been featured in JancisRobinson.com and Napa Valley Viticultural Society’s Journal), co-hosts the James Beard-awarded FourTop podcast on the culture and future of our industry, judges for several international competitions, attempts to become fluent in a fifth language, and unfortunately for dinner guests, is an incorrigible purveyor of dad humor.

Primary area(s) of work: Trade

Industry sector(s): Project management, Winemaking, Marketing, Sales, Distribution, Business owner, Agency/Importer, Off trade, Buying, Educator, Consultant, Wine judge

Wine styles: Sparkling wine, Champagne, Cremant, Cava, Prosecco, Sweet wines, Port, Sherry, Madeira, Still white, Still red, Still wines

Wine region expertise: Aconcagua Valley, Argentina, Austria, Chile, Colchagua Valley, Marlborough, Mendoza, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, USA, Western Cape, South America, France, Bordeaux, Rhone, Languedoc, Loire, Champagne, Galicia, Penedes, Spain, Priorat, Italy, Piedmont, Veneto/Friuli, Tuscany, California, Washington, Oregon

Market expertise: New Zealand, Oceania, Europe, North America, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, South America, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Africa

Specialisms: Sustainability, Environmental impacts, Regenerative, Processing of grapes, Fermentation, Stabilisation and clarification, Economics of wine production, Wine styling, Elevage / maturation, Blending, Preparation of finished wine for bottling, Packing and labelling, Bulk shipment, Bottling, Financial and commercial structures, Supplier/customer relationships, Identifying and meeting consumer demand, Routes to market, Importation, Distribution, Direct to consumer, Supermarket and multiple retail, Independent retail, Food and wine pairing, Wine labels, Wine laws and regulations, Branding, Wine judging