A TASTE OF SAN MARTINO
(the ~ goes above the N in all the Martino’s and the U in ragu 🙂 🙁 lol)
HARVESTING GRAPES & GRATITUDE
STORY & PHOTOS BY MELISSA MCBRIDE
Tucked along Texas State Highway 205, San Martiño feels like a little secret waiting to be discovered. This family-owned winery draws on centuries-old Spanish roots, pairing its heritage with a Texas setting perfect for lingering over a glass. Beyond its tall black wrought-iron gates adorned with a grape motif, rows of vines stretch across the foreground, the winery is perfectly
perched on the hill against a western sunset backdrop. Just outside Rockwall and not far from the historic downtown square, where town gives way to the open countryside of Lavon, San Martiño offers the kind of escape wine lovers savor: beautiful views, thoughtful pours and a sunset worth staying for. San Martiño’s roots reach back more than six centuries to the vineyards of northern Spain. That heritage eventually found its way to North Texas, where the winery began taking shape in 2003. Today, San Martiño produces Texas wines while maintaining a close connection to the traditions and personal relationships that have
shaped the winery from the beginning.
San Martiño remained a secret to me until I searched online for working
vineyards within an hour of Ellis County, Texas. San Martiño Winery
came up, and as I admired the simple, elegant logo on the website, it
struck a chord. I glanced across my kitchen. Yes—I had saved a 2016
bottle of Montepulciano with the San Martiño label and it was the
focal point of the hacienda-themed vignette on my sidebar. It must
have been a gift—San Martiño wines can only be purchased or shipped
directly from the winery. Their online event calendar showed a rustic
three-course dinner, and it was only days away.
Winemaker Emilio and his wife, Maria Ramos, welcomed guests as we
all arrived. Emilio is quietly entertaining, with an engaging sense of
humor, while Maria brings a calm, gracious presence to the room. At
the intimate dinner for ten, I was the fifth wheel at our table and met
two lovely couples: Susan and Allen and Ginnie and Jose. Allen selected
our wine for the evening: a 2018 Montepulciano Gran Reserve to pair
with our main course—a hearty elk ragũ layered over ribbons of wide
pasta (pappardelle) sprinkled with fresh herbs. Fabulous! As he filled
our glasses, Allen unfolded an interesting story about our winemaker
hosts.
“Twenty-two years ago, I was riding my motorcycle on a then very rural
State Hwy 205 heading north out of Rockwall when I passed a little
vineyard and a Mediterranean-inspired building. Susan and I visited and
became members the following weekend. That little winery introduced
us to lifelong friends, including our dog Hondo, and opened our world
to wine and traveling with the owners to Napa, Portugal, and Spain.
Emilio, born and raised in Spain, is a naturalized American, former
soldier, NASA ‘rocket scientist,’ chef, author, academic, and holds a PhD
in physics and mathematics. Maria, also a naturalized citizen, fled Cuba
with her family as a child. Our San Martiño adventures have included
late-night ‘work parties’—crushing grapes, punching down fermenting
fruit (being careful not to breathe in carbon dioxide), pressing juice, and
bottling wine. Sometimes we’ve had only hours’ notice to show up after
harvest. Hard work, great friends, and always a wonderful time.”
My takeaway? Emilio is a true Renaissance man of gratitude. He and
Maria have grown the business from humble beginnings into an award-
winning winery embraced by a community of customers turned friends.
“Every bottle we produce carries more than wine. It carries time. It
carries memory. It carries the weight of tradition and the lightness
of joy. It is, in many ways, a small piece of our lives, offered to yours.”
—Emilio Ramos
Winemaker at San Martiño Winery and Vineyards
