May Virtual Program | Amaterra Winery

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A Behind-the-scenes Look at the West Hills’ Only Winery, Amaterra

Please join us for a virtual tour of Amaterra Winery, which will open in the tree-filled slopes of Portland’s West Hills later this year. Panelists Matt Vuylsteke (General Manager and Winemaker, Amaterra), Kendra Lackey (President of Development and Construction, Amaterra) and Monica Keenan (Project Manager, Emerick) will share a behind-the-scenes look into the new venue’s expansive valley views, 12-acre vineyard, chef-driven restaurant, state-of-the-art gravity flow winery and indoor/outdoor event spaces. They will also discuss the significance of Amaterra as an addition to Portland’s famed culinary scene, as well as the Willamette Valley’s prominence in the wine industry and agritourism.

Emerick Construction is working closely with Waterleaf Architecture and O’Brien & Company, the construction manager, on this three-story, 46,000-square-foot project – the first full-production winery in the Portland metropolitan area. Approximately 3,600 cubic yards of concrete was used for the foundation and structure of the two lower levels that will serve winery production. Approximately 35,000 square feet of 12-inch, precast/prestressed, hollow-core planks were placed for the Level 2 and 3 suspended slabs. The top level, which will house a restaurant and event space, is wood-framed with a multi-gabled roof structure that emulates the West Hills in which the building is located. The project started in spring 2019 with ground modification. The project was undertaken with an aggressive schedule coupled with a phased design process. A very tight site on a slope, with deep excavation in a microclimate subject to high winds, necessitated a lot of coordination and planning. Currently, site construction and the build-out of the restaurant and event space are under way, and completion is expected late this spring.

Speakers:

Matt Vuylsteke, General Manager & Winemaker
Matt Vuylsteke is the general manager and winemaker at Amaterra, located amidst the tree-filled slopes of Portland’s West Hills. A native to Portland, Ore., Matt graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Oregon State University, as well as a master’s degree in Business Administration from Concordia University.

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. He founded a vineyard management and winemaking consulting company and, in 2012, served as founding winemaker for 51Weeks Winemaking. He also has extensive experience working as a sales manager and systems leader at the Pall Corporation, as well as a business manager at bioMerieux, Inc.

At Amaterra, Matt is charged with leading the development of the estate vineyards and winemaking program, restaurant management and event programming. When he’s not busy bringing delicious wines to consumers, Matt enjoys skiing, cycling, crabbing and spending time with his wife, two children and golden retriever, Champ, on both the mountains and the beach.

Kendra Lackey, President of Development & Construction
Kendra Lackey is the president of development and construction for Amaterra, and is responsible for the winery’s site selection, land use and planning. She is accredited as a LEED 2.0 professional and she holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Texas A&M University, graduating summa cum laude.

Previously, Kendra worked as a development manager with the Deacon Development Group, S.D. and as a project engineer, project administrator and project manager for The Beck Group in Dallas, Texas.

Away from work, Kendra enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, as well as trail running, working on home improvement projects, traveling and camping.

Monica Keenan | Emerick Construction – Project Manager
Monica has been in the construction industry for over 20 years and with Emerick since 2017. Monica has been involved in several notable projects ranging from the $92M Willow Lake Headwater & Primary Treatment Plant to the new $300M Sellwood Bridge Project and her current $26M Amaterra Winery project. Monica gravitates towards complex projects where her highly developed communication skills bring the team together. Her intuitive sense to anticipate project needs and requirements across many project sectors has made her projects very successful. In particular, the Amaterra project has been gratifying, and she is looking forward to sitting back and enjoying the view from their deck once it is complete. When she’s not at work, Monica enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.