A first-generation American, Martin is the first Master of Wine of Mexican descent. With a prolific career as a buyer, importer, educator, and more recently, winemaker, he has held influential roles in many sectors of the industry. Martin's wine story began with an over-indulgent dinner while studying in Paris as a Stanford undergraduate and, by 2003, he was stocking shelves at K&L Wine Merchants in California. After managing a retail shop in Napa Valley for several years, Martin was hired as the principal buyer & importer for prominent wine club programs for partners such as The New York Times and Williams-Sonoma. In 2015, he worked the harvest at Salomon Undhof in Kremstal. Also that same year, Martin was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top Forty under Forty Tastemakers.

Today, Martin directs production for Sonoma-based Peter Paul Wines and heads Reyes Wine Group LLC, a consulting resource for businesses across the full supply-chain. Clients have included Spottswoode Estate, Copa Fina Wine Imports, and Vivino.com. He works closely with Vice Versa Wines in Napa Valley and recently launched Reyes Selections, a small portfolio of his favourite producers, singled out from years spent sourcing wines globally for the US market. In his free time, Martin is an instructor for GrapeExperience.com and SFWineSchool.com, attempts to become fluent in a fifth language, and raises his two children trilingually, together with his wife in Vallejo, CA.

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: Processing of grapes, Fermentation, Stabilisation and clarification, Economics of wine production, 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