Winemaking Team

Matt Vuylsteke is the General Manager and Winemaker at Amaterra Winery, located amidst the tree-filled slopes of Portland’s West Hills. A native of Portland, Oregon, Matt graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science & Technology from Oregon State University as well as obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Concordia University. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Winegrowers Association, representing vineyards and wineries with advocacy efforts on both the state and federal level. Matt has a specific passion on issues around sustainability.

Matt started in the wine industry as a cellar hand at Tyee Wine Cellars and as an undergraduate research assistant in the Enology Extension Laboratory at Oregon State University. He spent several years in Washington working as a production enologist for The Hogue Cellars, eventually returning to Oregon, joining the Domaine Serene team as an assistant winemaker. Matt founded a vineyard management and winemaking consulting company and, in 2012, along with his wife Nancy, launched their own winery, 51Weeks Winemaking.

In 2013, Matt and Nancy’s consulting company was engaged by Amaterra to help plant and manage the first vineyards, and later, as 51Weeks Winemaking became a part of Amaterra, Matt joined the Amaterra team.

At Amaterra, Matt is charged with leading the development of the estate vineyards and winemaking program, direct-to-consumer, Wine Club, and off-premises sales. When he’s not busy bringing delicious wines to consumers, Matt enjoys skiing, cycling, tennis, and spending time with his wife, two children, and golden retriever, Champ, on both the mountains and the beach.

After falling in love with wine and wine culture in Mendoza, Argentina, Morgan joined the wine industry as a sommelier in 2012. She studied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida, and Winemaking and Viticulture at Chemeketa Community College. Morgan began her professional journey with a harvest in New Zealand, then joined the Oregon wine industry as the Cellar Master for Apolloni Vineyards before becoming a vital part of the Amaterra team. Harvest is her favorite part of the process: making important decisions in a crazy, fast-paced season that all eventually affect the finished wine, which sets the tone for the following year. Her favorite food and wine pairing is Margherita pizza with a glass of Nero d’Avola. When she’s not elbow deep in fermenting grape juice, you can find her cooking with her English bulldog Pebbles in tow.

Originally brewing beer and cider at home, Matthew found himself in the wine industry five years ago after falling in love with the chaos of harvest and being at the mercy of Mother Nature and her fruit. Matthew balances his time well between studying Business Management at Oregon State University, eating steak tacos with a glass of Tempranillo or 2016 51Weeks Super Cascadian, fishing, woodworking, camping, and enjoying newly wedded bliss. Matthew and his wife Emily have a dog named Rusty.

Meet Ella Thompson: Chardonnay aficionado, North Carolina native, and lab manager and winery associate here at Amaterra. Her winemaking journey from the Appalachian Mountains to the West of Hills in Portland actually started back in college, working at a brewery and studying sulfur compounds in a research lab. During her time at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, she studied Biochemistry and minored in Fermentation Sciences, Biology, and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. She realized fermentation was an unconventional side of biochemistry compared to what she had been studying in college, further sparking her interest in the winemaking process. These experiences eventually helped her transition from homebrews to winemaking at Amaterra. Outside of winemaking, Ella enjoys spending time perfecting her latte art skills, cooking and experimenting with new recipes, taking care of her many plants, and being outside and enjoying nature. As for her favorite wine/food pairing, dark chocolate with a rich Cabernet Sauvignon is always her go-to.

After studying and visiting close to a dozen wineries in Tuscany and Montalcino one summer, David knew he needed to find his place in the wine industry, which he entered in 2018. Even though living in Italy has become a distant memory, his favorite wine and food pairing remains Brunello Di Montalcino with a hearty lasagna. Thus far, he has worked three harvests; two in Napa Valley and one here at Amaterra. He also worked as a server for Battle Creek Cellars at their Pearl District tasting room location between harvests 2021 and 2022. When wine is not on his mind, basketball is. Having grown up in Eugene and graduated from the University of Oregon (UO), he roots for the Ducks, and now that he lives in Portland, the Blazers. Outside of work, he enjoys trying new restaurants, skiing, golfing, and being outdoors.

Champ ‘Champagne’ Francis Bleu was one of Amaterra’s first employees, visiting the construction site in 2019 with his dad, Matt Vuylsteke, Amaterra’s General Manager and Winemaker. Though there were chew toys around, puppy Champ quickly became the most popular member amongst the construction workers. People are Champ’s favorite thing and as Champ grew, so did the Amaterra team. Being silly during meetings just for the laugh and pets quickly became his favorite work benefit. When he’s not drooling over the scent of Swede Hill meatballs that fill the air from Amaterra’s kitchen, he’s running around winery tour groups, stealing bungs from the barrel room floor, or visiting with his best friend Walker when going to the vineyards from which Amaterra sources fruit.