Winemaker Dennis Martin
As Director of Winemaking for 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, thereby enabling us to produce consistently high quality
wine and have a great time doing it." And, with a smirk, he adds, "And, we get
to work in our tennis shoes."
Dennis has been with Fetzer since 1985 and was part of the winemaking team (under
head winemaker at the time, Paul Dolan) that Dan Berger proclaimed "the winemaking
team of the year" in the Los Angeles Times in 1991.
A master at blending grapes from vineyards all over the state, one of Dennis'
greatest abilities is to produce a consistent style vintage after vintage. He
has all the tools - French and American oak barrels for barrel fermentation, sur
lie aging (to encourage flavors by allowing the yeast cells to flavor the wine
before removing) and barrel-to-barrel racking to soften harsh tannins in young,
red wines.
Dennis Martin - winemaker extraordinaire!
Winemaker John White Meet Fetzer Barrel Select winemaker John White. John began his journey into
winemaking as a biologist. His studies included fermentation science at U.C. Davis,
where he earned a B.S. degree in 1986.
John began his career at Fetzer in 1992 where he assisted in the white wine program
and guided the computer tracking of all white blends and experimental programs.
Currently, John has responsibilty for ll Barrel Select wines. He scours the North
Coast to discover vineyards that offer the intense, pure fruit flavors that are
the hallmark of Barrel Select wines. John says, "My wines are my passion. Everything
else is just details."
Fetzer Vineyards / S. Highway 101 / Hopland, CA 95449 / 707-744-1737
Meet
the Winemakers