i. Biography
From heading a Marlborough winemaking team in 1994 to building Blank Canvas in 2012 after 38 harvests for other people, Matt Thomson’s route has moved through New Zealand cellars, Italian cooperative projects and consulting work before arriving at a label made on his own terms. A New Zealander, Thomson has turned that long apprenticeship into site-driven wines from Marlborough and single-vineyard sites across New Zealand, with 2026 recognition as both Best Winemaker in New Zealand and Winemaker of the Year.
Beginnings
An early dated point in Thomson’s career came in 1994, when he was head of the winemaking team at Saint Clair in Marlborough, New Zealand. That role places him inside one of the country’s defining wine regions at a moment when his later work would come to rely on close readings of vineyard, season and cellar detail. Before Blank Canvas, the work stretched well beyond one employer. He made wine for other people through 38 harvests before founding his own label, a number that gives the 2012 start of the project its weight: not a first experiment, but a move after years of accumulated cellar decisions. His career also included consulting work for Delta Wine Company and Lake Chalice. In Veneto, Italy, he worked as a winemaking consultant on cooperative projects at Cantina di Monteforte, adding another point of reference to a practice later described through scientific precision, global perspective and creative freedom.
The Rise
Blank Canvas was founded in New Zealand in 2012, and Thomson has been Co-Founder & Winemaker of the Marlborough label since then. The decision carried a personal charge as well as a professional one: "This was something Sophie and I really wanted to do together on our terms." The wines are built around precision viticulture, restrained artistry and transparent provenance, with the aim of revealing authentic terroir rather than covering it with cellar noise. Tradition informs the work, but does not bind it; the intent is to make precise, thoughtful expressions of land, season and the people who made them. The specialty is site-driven wine from some of the finest vineyards in Marlborough, primarily Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The range also reaches to distinctive, small-batch fine wines from exceptional single-vineyard sites throughout New Zealand, keeping the focus on place rather than volume. Two early bottlings show how specific that approach could become. The 2013 Blank Canvas Gruner Veltliner was described by Decanter as Thomson’s first venture after more than 40 vintages as a flying winemaker and scored 91 points. The 2014 Syrah was noted for using 7.5 per cent Gruner Veltliner skins, adding an elegant, fleshy layer to a violet-and-berry-driven palate.
Today
Since 2012, Thomson has continued to lead the winemaking at Blank Canvas in Marlborough, while also working as an international winemaking consultant. Through the label, he is a founding member of Appellation Marlborough Wine, connecting his own production to a regional framework for origin and integrity. The recognition in 2026 sharpened the picture of a career built over many harvests. Susie & Peter named him Best Winemaker in New Zealand, and he was also named Winemaker of the Year. What defines the current work is not scale, but control: limited-production fine wines, single-vineyard attention, and a readiness to use technical precision in service of clarity. The result is a body of wines that treats Marlborough, and New Zealand more broadly, as a set of individual sites to be read carefully rather than a single style to be repeated.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Matt
Where else has Matt Thomson worked?
He has worked with Saint Clair in Marlborough, New Zealand, consulted for Delta Wine Company and Lake Chalice, and worked on cooperative projects at Cantina di Monteforte in Veneto, Italy.
Where did Matt Thomson begin their career?
A key early dated role was heading the winemaking team at Saint Clair in Marlborough, New Zealand, in 1994.
What roles has Matt Thomson held?
He has been head of a winemaking team, a winemaking consultant, an international winemaking consultant, and since 2012 Co-Founder & Winemaker of Blank Canvas in Marlborough, New Zealand.
