Whidbey aviator realizes vintner dream

An Electronic Attack Squadron 129 officer and his wife realized a longtime dream, Oct. 18, when they held a grand opening for Holmes Harbor Cellars, in Greenbank, Wash.

Cmdr. Greg Martinez and his wife, Theresa, marked the culmination of a dream that began in the early 1990s.

“My wife and I sat down one day, when I was flying with the Reserves and the (civilian) airlines, and she said she didn’t want me going away for 18 or 19 days a month and she asked me what I wanted to do,” said Martinez. “I said, ‘this is what I want to do,’ and she said, ‘OK, go for it.’”

Martinez emphasizes the importance of enjoying your work in life.

“It’s really puts a smile on your face,” he said. “You’ll be sitting here working until two or three o’clock in the morning and won’t even realize it because you’re having a good time,” he added.

The whole process of turning the grapes into wine is a family affair, with members of both sides of the family chipping in to lend their help.

“I’m so happy for them, they really wanted to make this thing work,” said Rollo Spencer, Theresa Martinez’s father. “They’ve been working on this for three years and it’s just now starting to bear the fruit. It’s very rewarding and fun to work with family doing this.”

There were eight wines available for tasting and purchase at the grand opening, including the award winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Etude limited release blend. More than 100 visitors sampled the beverages throughout the day, and 170 bottles were sold.

“Of all the places we’ve been, this has the warmest feeling to me; the host is spectacular and the wines here are very good,” said Jim Vissers, of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. “There wasn’t a wine here we didn’t like. Overall it was a very pleasant experience. We’ll definitely be back.”

Martinez was recently elected president of the newly formed Whidbey Island Vintners, which will be working to promote the wine industry on the island.