María Martínez

The Recognition The recognition begins with the position itself: Head Winemaker. In that role at the Uruñuela winery, Martínez supervises wines rooted in Rioja Alta and made from traditional Rioja grapes such as Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano. Her work has also carried her name onto a bottle. Lágrimas de María Martínez was created by Bodegas Patrocinio in 2008 to strengthen ties with consumers and bring them closer to the winery. The name “Lágrimas de María” evokes the passion and commitment of the winemaker who supervises the wines, connecting the label directly to her work rather than treating it as a detached brand exercise. That closeness to the wine is how she describes the job. “I threat my wines like my own babies. I taste them two or three times per day during the harvesting time in order to get exactly what I want from all of them.”

The Work

Behind It Martínez’s specialty is Rioja Alta wine made from the region’s traditional grape varieties. The craft note is concrete: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, handled within a winery where her leadership has been associated with research and development. By 2004, that work included soil mapping, pest control, vine vigor control, and micro-oxygenation. The list does more than name techniques: it places her winemaking not only in the cellar but also in the vineyard and the technical decisions that shape fruit before fermentation begins. Her own language puts the field first. “Wine comes from the fields and if we don't take care of it we couldn't get good grapes to make good wine.” It is a plain statement of method: quality is built before the grapes reach the cellar. During harvest, her attention is repeated and sensory, not abstract. Tasting wines two or three times per day is the rhythm she gives for getting exactly what she wants from them.

The Road Before Rioja Alta, Martínez studied at the Pharmacy University in Seville, then continued into wine training in La Rioja. “I studied at the Pharmacy University in Seville, after this I studied Enology and Viticulture for two years more in Logroño (La Rioja).” In 2003, she moved to Bodegas Patrocinio in Rioja Alta because she was seeking a winery capable of making top-quality wines. Her career there includes work as winemaker and Head Winemaker, with the house serving as the main stage for her professional rise. Asked why she works in wine, she gives an answer centered on creation and pleasure. “Why am I in the wine business? I love to create something to give pleasure to the rest of the world, I mean WINE. I love the whole process of winemaking.”