Behind the Canvas.
Founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife team Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson, Blank Canvas is the culmination of decades of experience, scientific curiosity, and artistic intent.
Matt and Sophie believe that wine is more than a beverage, it’s a medium for storytelling. Every bottle they craft is a precise, thoughtful expression of the land it comes from, the season it was born in, and the people who brought it to life.
Unbound by tradition, they follow no script but their own, with one guiding aim: to craft wines that excite, inspire, and endure.
Seeking out New Zealand’s finest single-vineyard sites, Matt and Sophie treat every vineyard and every season as a blank canvas. Through precision viticulture, restrained artistry, and transparent provenance, they have quickly established a reputation in crafting limited-production fine wines that reveal authentic terroir without compromise.
Blank Canvas is a platform to explore, to question, and to create, with each wine a dialogue between time and place, precision and personality.
Meet the Team.
Matt Thomson
Co-Founder & Winemaker
Matt’s journey into wine began not in a vineyard, but under his bed where, at just sixteen, he was secretly stashing cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy, bought with pocket money and studied like sacred texts. While his peers were discovering music and mischief, Matt was immersed in the writings of Robert Parker and the chemistry of fermentation.
That early obsession became a lifelong pursuit. After studying biochemistry with a focus on yeast science, Matt knocked on cellar doors in Marlborough in 1992 and landed his first job running a bottling line. From there, he never looked back.
Since 1993, Matt has completed two harvests every year - one in each hemisphere - without pause. That’s now 66 vintages across the globe, from New Zealand to Europe and beyond. This rare, relentless rhythm of experience is the foundation of his craft and the heartbeat of Blank Canvas.
As co-founder and winemaker, Matt brings a unique blend of scientific precision, global perspective, and creative freedom to every wine. His work is not bound by tradition but informed by it. Always forward-looking, always rooted in place.
Blank Canvas is the culmination of a life lived through wine. It’s where Matt’s unparalleled experience meets his enduring curiosity, one vintage, one vineyard, one blank canvas at a time.
Sophie Parker-Thomson MW
Co-Founder & General Manager
Sophie’s story begins in a winery and bar tucked into the industrial backstreets of Gisborne: an unconventional setting that shaped an extraordinary perspective. As a second-generation wine professional with strong links to both her Māori (Ngai Te Rangi) and European heritage, she grew up immersed in the rhythms of vintage, surrounded by barrels, fermenters, and the hum of hospitality and community. It was a world of grit, graft, and grounded passion, and it left an indelible mark.
Though wine was in her blood, Sophie’s path was anything but linear. She first trained in law, sharpening a mind built for precision and advocacy. But the pull of wine proved irresistible. She transitioned into the industry with a rare blend of analytical rigor and creative intuition, qualities that would eventually lead her to earn the title of Master of Wine, one of the most prestigious and demanding qualifications in the world.
At Blank Canvas, Sophie is the strategist, storyteller, and sensory compass. She shapes the voice of the brand and the experience behind every bottle, ensuring that each wine is not only technically brilliant, but emotionally resonant.
For Sophie, wine is a language: one that speaks of place, people, and possibility.
Blank Canvas is her platform to explore that language, to challenge convention, and to craft wines that are as intellectually engaging as they are deeply personal.
Emily Hope
Sales & Marketing
Emily learned hospitality at the family table, where seasonal produce and generous meals taught her the value of place and story. She holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Otago and began her career in public health and industry nutrition in Auckland. A spell teaching English in Parma deepened her love of food and wine, honing her appreciation for regional ingredients and conviviality.
Since joining Blank Canvas, Emily has been expanding her technical knowledge through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), bringing classroom clarity to tastings, trade materials, and customer conversations. She pairs academic rigour with hands‑on experience running a small family business, turning Matt and Sophie’s ideas into polished events, engaging communications, and dependable execution.
Emily’s work balances warm storytelling with practical logistics, ensuring every release and tasting feels both thoughtful and effortless. When she isn’t coordinating sales and marketing, you’ll find her in the family’s autumnal fig orchard, gathering seasonal inspiration that nourishes our tables and our tales.
