PROFILE: DENNIS MARTIN
VICE PRESIDENT/WINEMAKING

As Vice President, Director of Winemaking at Fetzer Vineyards, Dennis Martin cannot imagine a better working environment. "It's perfect," he says, "because we work as a team in a relaxed atmosphere, which enables us to produce consistently high quality wine."

Martin, 51, earned an Agricultural Business degree in 1973 from California State University at Fresno and a master's degree in Enology and Food Science there in 1975. He worked at United Vintners as a sparkling wine and white winemaker until 1981, when he moved to Scott Labs, a major winery supply company. In 1985, Fetzer winemaster Paul Dolan selected Martin as his assistant. When Fetzer was adquired by Brown-Forman in 1992, Martin was named Director of Winemaking. With the move to make Bonterra and Bel Arbor labels into separate brands in 1996, Martin ascended to the position of Vice President/Winemaking for all Fetzer wines.

Martin and his winemaking staff are dedicated to working with individual grape growers and are committed to the concept that winemaking is an integrated team effort. In 1991, the Fetzer crew was recognized by Los Angeles Times wine writer Dan Berger, who named Paul Dolan and Fetzer as "Winery of the Year."

Martin is involved in all major winemaking decisions, including grape selection, tasting, and blending. "I think one of our major successes as a winery is our ability to blend consistently, vintage after vintage," Martin says.

In creating all of the Fetzer Vineyard wines, from Premium Varietals to the Fetzer Reserve Collection, Martin selects the finest varietal fruit available from prized vineyards throughout California. "We strive to make the best possible wine we can from each vintage, emphasizing the true character of each varietal. Our goal is to offer our consumers quality wines that are stylistically pleasing and consistent from vintage to vintage. We also like to have fun in the process."

Martin is a member and former director of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. He is a member of the Sonoma County Wine Technical Group, the Trellis Alliance, and a founding member of the Sonoma County Winemakers' Tasting Group.