Winemaking Team

At the forefront of Amaterra—an urban winery oasis nestled amidst the tree-filled slopes of Portland’s West Hills—is Matt Vuylsteke, the general manager and winemaker. A native to Portland, Oregon, Matt began his journey into winemaking at Oregon State University where he earned a bachelor of science in Food Science and Technology before attaining a master’s degree in Business Administration from Concordia University.

While at Oregon State, Matt worked as a cellar hand at Tyee Wine Cellars and served as an undergraduate research assistant in the enology extension laboratory. He then spent several years in Washington working as a production enologist for The Hogue Cellars before eventually returning to Oregon and joining the Domaine Serene team as an assistant winemaker.

He went on to establish a vineyard management and winemaking consulting company, and, in 2012, served as the founding winemaker for 51Weeks Winemaking. In addition to his knowledge of the winemaking process, he has extensive business experience from his time working as a sales manager and systems leader at the Pall Corporation and as a business manager at bioMerieux, Inc.

At Amaterra, Matt leads the management of the estate vineyards, winery, tasting experience, restaurant, and event programming. He maintains oversight of the winemaking program, including production, harvest, and the Wine Club while also overseeing culinary operations, event execution, and sales management. His vision has been instrumental in building brand recognition and executing a successful winemaking strategy, not only bringing Amaterra well-earned recognition but also providing consistent leadership crucial to the operations at the winery.

With a passion for sustainability in winemaking, Matt has worked to identify and build relationships with growers who share a love of Pinot Noir and emphasize quality and sustainable growing practices. He uses a gravity-flow approach and gentle handling of the fruit to focus on wine texture during the winemaking process, resulting in wines with beautiful aromatics.

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. Fun fact: She was the first person ever at Amaterra to fall into an active fermentation tank!

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 friends Walker and Chester when going to the vineyards from which Amaterra sources fruit.