Joan C. Martín is a prize-winning wine writer and winemaker, recently honoured for his 25 years of writing about Valencian wine. His series over 2004–5 in El País newspaper on 62 different Valencian wines is the best introduction not only to the wines of Valencia, but also to the people who make them and the landscape they are made in. These have been translated into English and published as Valencia Land of Wine: a winemaker's selection by Joan C. Martín (Anaconda Editions, 2007, ISBN 9781901990041). He is also the author of El manual de los vinos valencianos (1986, but sadly out of print) and
it is good to see his long-standing criticisms, suggestions and enthusiasms reflected in the new era of Valencian wines. A Valencian through and through, his philosophy of wine and food is that of a cosmopolitan man of the world. He was awarded an Academia de Gastronomía Valenciana prize in June 2006 for his writing on Valencian wine, and in 2005 won the prestigious Juan Mari Arzak National Prize for Gastronomy and the Media for his article'La cultura del origen en la gastronomía', on the relationship between food and drink and their place of origin. He also coordinated the excellent '5 rutas de enoturismo' in the Autumn 2006 issue of Viajer@s por la Comunitat Valenciana magazine. In short, there is no better companion and guide to the region of Valencia and its wines. He also knows more about Ireland and its history than any of my relatives in County Tipperary and County Antrim.
