“Wine is the perfect way to combine aromas, textures, sensations and feelings in a gastronomic experience”.
Devoted the world of wine for as long as he can remember, Yago Martínez (Orense, 1995) has been widening his knowledge and experience to the point of becoming the head sommelier at the Oliva Nova resort. After working in some of the leading restaurants on the hotel and catering scene, the Galician sommelier has rediscovered his passion and the Mediterranean traditions of local grapes, and now creates unforgettable tasting experiences.
How long have you been a sommelier?
Since I was 16 years old, I have been taking courses related to the wine and tasting world, and in 2021, I took a step forward and studied the Master’s Degree in Professional Sommelier. I think that having found a passion like this at an early age has led me to continue learning about this beautiful and infinite world.
Young but with an extensive career…
I started having contact with the wine world at a young age because my father was involved in gastronomic fairs such as the Semana Verde in Silleda, the Xantar in Ourense or the Fórum Gastronómico in Coruña. I was very interested in this world, so I combined my studies at high school with specialized courses that gave me the opportunity to work in several leading restaurants as a sommelier in my homeland, Galicia. I started working at Abastos 2.0, where I got an in-depth knowledge of the Galician products with great professionals by my side, and later I made the leap to the world of haute cuisine with Michelin-starred restaurants such as Auga e Sal and Casa Marcelo in Santiago de Compostela, and Ambivium in Valladolid.
And when did you show up in Oliva Nova?
I was looking for a change in the type of industry, and after several conversations and visits, I knew that Oliva Nova was perfect because of the opportunity it offered me. I have been working here since April 2023. I think it was an ideal time to start because it gave me enough time to settle in and organize the work before the summer arrival, as well as to plan and design the opening of the Wine&Tapas restaurant and the rest of the outlets that I am responsible for as a sommelier. I have had a lot of support and thanks to this my period of adaptation has been much easier.
How was it like at the beginning in Oliva?
There were two sides of my beginnings in Oliva. On the one hand, I took up the challenge of arriving at a new place with many points of sale with different profiles. On the other hand, I had to work hard to adapt our product to the different seasons of the resort: summer, with holiday tourism, and winter with sports tourism. Now I find myself in a very gratifying moment, I think it is the beginning of a great and long career.
Given this variety of locations and times of the year, what kind of wines do you propose in the restaurants?
I believe that in each one we must make a proposal that is appropriate to the gastronomic offer, the place, and the time of year in which we find ourselves. Only this way we can satisfy the needs of each guest and adapt them to what we want to offer. There is a lot of work behind each wine decision. It is the wines, together with the food and the atmosphere, that are responsible for creating an unforgettable experience.
Do you mean you offer an organic menu? Do you offer different wines depending on the season, the menu, etc.?
Of course, only in this way we can achieve a complete gastronomic experience. The fact that it is such an important resort makes our wine selection a showcase for small producers and wineries. For example, at Saforn, one of the restaurants that gives voice to the purest gastronomy of Oliva with its specialty of cocas and other local dishes, we only work with local wine to emphasize even more what Valencia means to us. Wine is the perfect way to combine aromas, textures, sensations and feelings in a gastronomic experience.
Which wineries do you usually work with?
All the wineries we work with have a thing in common and that is the care they take in their work. They are wineries and winemakers who really love what they do, and this is undoubtedly reflected in the results. On the other hand, the use of local varieties is another feature that we take into account. No variety expresses the terroir of each place better than the region’s own varieties.
Has the wine selection changed and evolved since you started at Oliva Nova?
Yes, that was and is my purpose here. Together with the rest of the team, we are making changes in the restaurants wine offer within the Resort and they are working very well. People are responding positively to the new menus.
Oliva Nova opts for the wine by incorporating a specialized establishment such as Wine&Tapas, we suppose that it will motivate…
It seems to me both right and necessary. It is a place unlike any other in the resort. It is also a type of place that is increasingly in demand, where wine takes center stage. The curated selection we offer in Wine&Tapas is a long journey through the Spanish geography and its wine treasures.
How has the restaurant been received?
The truth is that Wine&Tapas has been well received. We are able to satisfy guests who wants to dine on light but high-quality tapas and indulge them with a good wine. I believe that this style of cuisine has become trendier and the company has spotted this need by offering an avant-garde approach.
What can be found there?
Product, product and product. We work with different types of food, but always seeking the highest quality in each of them. At Wine&Tapas we do not focus on the preparation, but on the natural product. We offer a wide variety of cheeses of different kinds and origins, live cutting of ham from different breeds and qualities, as well as a very good selection of high-quality sausages. Moreover, priority is also given to gourmet preserves, something we may not be so used to, but has a lot of potential from three different companies: one local, with canned local products, which perfectly portray the area where we are; another
specialized in grilled preserves; and the last one from Santoña, where we can find every sort of product ranging from its famous
anchovies to crème caramel of premium quality.
Within this universe, what would be the star wine of Wine&Tapas?
A difficult question. Each wine has its own story and merit, but if I had to go for one it would be Albamar Albino, a red Caíño blanc de noirs. It is a white wine made from red grapes by the Albamar winery that, although it is outside the Rías Baixas D.O., meets or exceeds the expected standards. Caíño is a variety with few vines in the D.O. Rías Baixas, about 1% of the plantation. In this case, it is an old vineyard located on the slopes at the mouth of the Umia River, with mostly clay soils. To be able to produce a wine with these features under those conditions is worthy of being, for me, the star of the place.
And what would be your tip as an expert?
If one has no knowledge of wines and food pairings, my advice is to look at the local gastronomy of each place. A txakolí with a marmitako or an albariño with seafood are two clear examples of what can be a good pairing if we look at the local gastronomy.
“If you don’t know anything about wine and food pairing, my advice is to look at the local gastronomy of each place”.
