Martinez & Martinez Winery Celebrates 20th Harvest
As reported by the winery in Prosser, Washington:
Winemaker Andrew (Drew) Martinez, and his father, Sergio Martinez, are busy scheduling their days in anticipation of the 2025 harvest.
Drew and Sergio are no strangers to this delicate dance every fall – managing vineyard
crews, preparing the cellar, and clearing their schedules for long days. While they’ve
had years of practice, every fall is still met with a quiet eagerness and excitement. This
year, however, is not so quiet as the winery celebrates its 20th harvest.
“ In the 20 years of our winery’s history we have learned to be stewards of our industry
and ambassadors of the latino heritage that drives it, 2025 marks a milestone vintage of
this legacy,” said Drew Martinez.
Martinez & Martinez Winery began as a dream between two high-school sweethearts,
Monica (Tudor) and Drew. The two connected over many things, but one unique
similarity was they both had families in the wine industry with deep roots. Monica’s
grandfather moved his family from California to Washington to plant grapes and get
involved in the growing wine industry, continuing his legacy in winemaking. Likewise,
Drew grew up in Martinez Vineyard. Parents Sergio and Kristy Martinez have been
active in the world of wine since the ‘70s when they helped cousins Don and Linda
Mercer plant the first grapes on Horse Heaven Hills. The Martinez family took cuttings
from those early grape vines to establish their own vineyard in 1981 marking the 44th
year in 2025.
In 2005 a few key components fell in line for Monica, Drew, Kristy, and Sergio to make
the leap starting a winery: The Horse Heaven Hills became an American Viticultural
Area (AVA), Martinez Vineyard grapes were in demand and neighboring vineyards were
the home to 100 point Cabernet Sauvignons, a new building with small wine production
availability in Prosser caught Drew’s eye, Monica was finishing up her Master’s in
Business and needed a project, and Drew simply told his dad, “let’s make our “Old
Vines” into wine.”
The family rented a 10 foot by 10 foot space in the Winemaker’s Loft in Prosser, WA.
Monica got to work creating a business plan for their new winery, and Sergio and Drew
harvested one ton of fruit (just 2 barrels worth) to seed their dream, with Drew taking the
helm as Winemaker.
Today, Martinez & Martinez Winery sources fruit from the Dominio De Martinez
Vineyard, Alder Ridge Vineyard (where Sergio is a Crew Supervisor), Lady Hawk
Vineyard, Knox Road Vineyard, and all their white wine grapes come from Monica’s
family, Tudor Hills Vineyard. Their production stands at 2,000 cases. In the past 20
years of growing at the Winemakers Loft – M&M Winery has transitioned from the 10ft
by 10ft floor space, to 1,000 sq.ft. Studio C, up to the center Studio G with over 3000 sq.
ft. Recently Martinez & Martinez Winery partnered with Coyote Canyon Winery and
Desert Moon Winery to purchase the Winemaker’s Loft building.
Martinez & Martinez wines are well loved, including their Cesar Red Blend, named after
a nephew, and May Mae Rosè, named after Drew and Monica’s eldest daughter, who
was born a year after the ratification of the winery and now works in the Tasting Room
part-time. Their wines have garnered nearly 150 medals over the 18 years they’ve been
available. And this year they were honored as one of Washington’s Fabulous Four
Wineries of the Year from the Seattle Wine Awards.
To celebrate this harvest milestone, Martinez & Martinez will be hosting several fun
activities during this year’s Catch the Crush weekend, October 11th from 11-5pm. Enjoy
visiting with the Martinez family, live music, local food vendors, select discounts and
samples of the 2025 vintage. Catch the Crush is an annual Yakima Valley grape
harvest event where wineries throughout the valley offer unique experiences for visitors.