SAWM

SAWM is an import company that works closely with unique producers from Spain and Argentina. Their producers all share the same standards, vision, and values: with vineyards that have been family-owned for generations, they’re guided by a clear focus on exceptional quality and ‘terroir.’ The respect they give to their vines—with minimum intervention in the winery—helps them to produce some of the best wines coming out of both Spain and Argentina.

The Team:

Francisco Astudillo, a native of Valladolid, Spain has been working as a wine professional for nearly two decades. His training in Spain as a sommelier led him to the United States where he assumed that role at Taberna del Alabardero in Washington, DC. From there, Fran took over the Sommelier position at Café Atlantico and developed one of the most respected South American wine programs in the United States. Francisco later moved his experience to the wine import and distribution side of the wine business. His travels have carried him throughout the wine world, and as a founding Partner of SAWM this connection to producers abroad and his native Spain is the cornerstone to the exciting producers we are proud to represent. 

Benjamin Martin moved to the Washinton, DC area from Naples, Florida in 1998. Soon after his arrival he began working at Café Atlantico in the front of the house. It was here his passion for wine took hold and his journey in the wine business began. After a few years at Café Atlantico, Ben moved to Charleston, SC where he worked for several small distributors and worked nights at Vintage Wine Bar. He later spent a year studying Viticulture and Enology in Surry, NC. Ben found his way back to wine distribution in 2006 and began to work with Francisco, gaining invaluable experience as a wine sales professional in Virginia over the next 8 years. Ben has traveled throughout many of the major wine regions in Spain, Argentina, Chile and France and completed his WSET Advanced Certification in 2013.