Few people in history achieve true mononymity, fewer still in the world of wine. But for 50 years, one American importer of some of the world’s greatest wines was known and revered as simply, “Martine.”
On February 9, Martine Saunier, famed wine importer and founder of Martine’s Wines died at the age of 91.
A pioneer in many senses of the word, Martine was known for being the first American female wine importer in modern times, one of the first importers of fine Burgundy into the US, and then eventually as the importer responsible for some of the wine world’s greatest names, from Burgundy legend Henri Jayer to the revered wines of Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Martine was twice decorated by the French government with the title of Officier du Mérite Agricole, and once with Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur. She was a Chevalier du Tastevin, a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and served on the national board of the American Institute of Wine & Food.
I had the distinct pleasure of spending a significant amount of time with Martine a few years ago as we explored the possibility of me co-authoring her memoirs. I interviewed her extensively and was treated to many stories, both of her early life in Europe, as well as those from her rise to become an iconic importer and respected figure in the world of wine.
“My life has never been dull,” said Martine. “I have been privileged to live an adventure that still yields new discoveries every day.”
In tribute to her, I’d like to offer some of her stories, lightly edited for clarity, but otherwise entirely in her own words. For those who never had the pleasure of sitting at a table as she regaled her guests with a sparkle in her eye, a winning smile, and a bottle in hand, here is Martine at her finest.
Early Years in Paris and the War
Saunier was born in Paris and grew up as the eldest of four children in the 1930s, between the two World Wars.
When I was a baby, before the war, my parents would take me to Champs Mars and I would sit on the pile of sand and look at the kids and I would say, “I’m not interested.” I was raised by adults and listened to what they said all the time, and I thought they were more interesting than the kids.
My parents put me in the Girl Scouts when I was 12. A year later I was the leader.
I was the oldest of 4 kids.
My parents’ future was ruined by the [First World] war. My father wanted to be an architect. He was called up when he was eighteen. One day he was running behind a soldier, and the soldier got the shell, but my father got shrapnel into his hands. They were completely torn apart.
After the war, all the people he knew were dead. He couldn’t be an architect. My mother was 6 years younger and her father took all the money and left her family. She decided she could be a seamstress, bought some needles, and went and got hired. Six years later she had 26 apprentices in a big firm.
In the 30s she met my father and he told her once they were married she couldn’t work anymore. She never had a bank account until she was 70, in the 1980s. The women’s right to vote was much later. The abortion vote was much later. So growing up I thought, “God, this — I don’t want to have six kids.”
My father loved soccer. He played before the war. He also loved tennis. On weekends he and I would go to soccer games and horse racing and tennis. I was always behind him, he was happy,
We all sat for dinner as a family. Once a week we had to go through the motion of showing our report card. If I was second in my class he would say, “You should be first.” He was never satisfied.
I remember when the little Jewish girl in my class disappeared. As a kid, you don’t know why. No one talked about that during the war. The woman was French as well as Jewish.
I remember playing with kids, a boy and a girl my age in the west of Paris. The little boy opened a drawer in a desk and…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2025/02/martine-saunier-1934-2025-in-her-own-words
