Matt Ward

Background

About Matt Ward

Born and raised in the Midwest, I packed up my car in 2010 and followed my dream of making wine to Northern California. Under the mentorship of Kerry Damskey, I worked my way through the production ranks in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley to become a cellarmaster. Still hungry for knowledge, I pursued graduate studies in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. Upon receiving my Master of Science degree, I gratefully accepted a harvest position at Screaming Eagle before heading to New Zealand to lead a team making Bordeaux varieties at Craggy Range. Just prior to the 2017 harvest, I returned to California to join Atelier Melka, where I made wines for over 20 clients from vineyards across all of Napa and Sonoma. As associate winemaker to my mentors, Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky, I was fortunate to produce some of the finest wines coming out of Napa and Sonoma. In August of 2022, I stepped in as winemaker for Pride Mountain Vineyards and welcomed the first fruit a week later. Between the wonderful team at PMV and the stunning vineyards I am able to work with, I could not be happier with my transition back to estate winemaking.