Matthew Heil grew up in Sonoma, California, and started in the wine industry at the Buena Vista Winery tasting room in 1982. In 1990, he worked at Haywood Winery in the tasting room and as a member of the vineyard field crew at the Los Chamizal Vineyard. In 1991, he transitioned to Ravenswood Winery where he worked in the vineyard and in cellar operations for the Winery. Being encouraged by Peter Haywood and Joel Peterson, he enrolled in Viticulture courses at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). Following completion of an Associate of Science Degree in Viticulture at SRJC in 1993, he then attended California State University, Fresno, and earned a Master of Science Degree in
Crop Science. Following graduation, he worked with Robert Mondavi Winery on the Central Coast Region from 1997 to 2004 as the Viticulture Technical Manager. His role evolved in 2005 with Constellation Brands, Inc., where he served as the Area Director of Grape Management on the Central Coast Region through the harvest of 2012. In December of 2012, he joined Joe Wagner and the team at Copper Cane Wines & Provisions where he manages the fruit supply across California and Oregon.
Through interaction with the Winery team, they source fruit from grape growers in the Central Coast and North Coast Regions of California and have cultivated relationships with grape growers across the Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, and Willamette Valley winegrowing regions in the State of Oregon.