Martini earns lifetime achievement award

FINGER LAKES--The Finger Lakes wine community continues to celebrate success with the announcement that Anthony Road Wine Company co-owner and co-founder John Martini has been named the 2022 Jim Trezise Lifetime Achievement Award winner presented by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. Since Anthony Road's inception on Sept. 15, 1990, Martini has been at the forefront of not only refining and researching wine but also the grapes.
"Isaac Newton said he stood on the shoulders of giants," said Martini. "In a sense, I feel the same way, you work with a group and sometimes you are out there getting the award but sometimes it's other people. But none of that happens unless you are working together."
The award honors individuals who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the New York wine and grape industry. Martini said it would be unfair to take sole credit, and he views himself lucky to have been trained and worked with so many talented individuals.
"That is a key to any business," added Martini.
While day-to-day operations of Anthony Road Wine Company have transitioned to the next generation, a fact Martini said he is incredibly proud of, that hasn't slowed him down in the least.
"My life is not over, so I am going to keep poking at windmills like Don Quixote," Martini joked. "I am still very heavily involved in research in grapes, raisins and wine."
Through his position on the board of the National Grape Research Alliance Martini still spends an exorbitant amount of time focusing on all things grape.
"Table grapes, grapes, raisins and wine," said Martini. "We basically research what the industry needs, who can do it, and where the money is."
Research is more important than ever, as Martini said the environment for grape growers worldwide is quickly shifting beneath their feet due to the realities of climate change.
"As we are facing issues with climate change, nature takes care of the wild ones but here we grow (grapes for Chardonnay) which are in essence the same (plant) grown hundreds of years ago in France, so it isn't as disease and environmentally resistant," said Martini.
Along with focusing on the macro issues that grape growers face everywhere, Martini said he is also heavily involved with the business aspect of the wine industry in the Finger Lakes.
"How do we keep pushing our great wine industry in New York and more specifically the Finger Lakes out into the world? It's happening, people are coming here to taste wine and going home and saying the Finger Lakes are beautiful and the wine is good. That is the result of a lot of people to grow grapes better, make wine better, and have fun," Martini added.
While cherishing every moment of his career, Martini said he is also a realist about owning and operating a vineyard.
"It is a dream of a lot of people, but what they don't realize is that it is a lot of work... a lot of this stems from love not (profit)," said Martini.
The 2022 Unity Award winners were recently celebrated during the B.E.V. NY Virtual Conference. An award of $2,500 will be donated to the NY Wine and Grape Growers Monty Stamp Scholarship Fund on behalf of Lifetime Achievement award winner John Martini.