Katia Alvarez is the head winemaker at Martín Códax in Rías Baixas in Galicia, Spain. She graduated in technical agricultural engineering and winemaking from the universities of Santiago and La Rioja respectively where she has experience working with multiple varieties of wine. She has been the head winemaker at Bodegas Martín Códax for 15 years and has created numerous wines with many different profiles making the most of grapes from several D.O.s in Galicia. She actively participates in all R&D projects and lectures about winemaking around the world. In her own words “Is there anything better than making people happy through wine?” Media Inquiries: export-po@martincodax.com | http://www.martincodax.com/en/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Being able to give value and expose the Albariño varietal which was unknown for so many when the winery project started. In 40 years, the winery has grown along with Albariño. With our success, we have been able to give back to all these wine growers who have been doing this for ages, making their passion socially sustainable and helping the region see viticulture as a long-lasting professional opportunity. Younger generations have returned to Rías Baixas convinced they have a future making wines and taking their origins and culture outside our borders.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
I would love to travel the world in search of experiences that would make me dig deeper into the different varietal origins I have always known. I would endeavor to understand regions on a deeper level, to understand the origin of these regions and how it translates into their wines. Making authentic, primary wines would perfectly describe where they come from, showing their best expression and differences from many other varieties.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
It is definitely Martín Códax, our flagship. There is a very good reason why after so many years, it is still our most popular wine, and that reason is that it is the one that best represents our origin, tradition, culture, and what you should expect from an Albariño made in Val do Salnés. It is a very honest wine that shows where it’s been made. There is no other place like Val do Salnés to show freshness and salinity the way we do, and Martín Códax is a great example. The name also connects everything about our culture, highlighting how different and special we are and how important our society, music, and language are, and have influenced our way of living. Click here to check out this wine review.
What are your wholehearted convictions related to the wine business? Not about your wines!
The capacity to be true and honest in representing the places and people that have been making wine for centuries. I enjoy and respect wines that represent where their history and origin can be found and appreciated. It is the thing I look for the most as a winemaker but especially as a consumer. I want to enjoy wines that can take me anywhere, anytime, to a specific region, a certain winemaking style, etc.