Honor & Dedication Builds a Legacy
Celia & Ken Austin
Owners & Founders of Rain Dance Vineyards
Humble stewards to the land. Creative talents to their trades. Celia & Ken Austin III have dedicated their lives to enhancing the community and the state that they love.
Ken was born and raised in Newberg, he is a fifth generation Oregonian; while Celia’s family moved to Chehalem Mountain in 1966 from Portland. Both attended Oregon State University and studied there at the same time but never crossed paths. It wasn’t until after graduation when Celia began working at A-dec in Newberg that they met. Since 1977 Ken & Celia have carried out a successful partnership both in marriage and business. From 1976 to 1990 Ken ran a manufacturing company. Then, in 1991, they established Rain Dance Ranch and began one of the country’s premier llama ranches. Ken & Celia traveled the world in search of the finest breeding stock and it paid off. Over the past 25 years they have had several national champions and take great pride in their practice of breeding quality bloodlines for excellence in conformation, fiber and temperament. To this day, the Rain Dance Ranch llamas are a prominent fixture on the hillside of Bell & Herd Roads in Newberg. They are busy at work clearing blackberries, scotch broom and poison oak from what will be future vineyard sites. With great appreciation for the arts, Celia opened Rain Dance Marketplace in 2011. The store boasts the creative work of many local artists, including Ken’s fine woodworking.
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Over the years, Ken & Celia watched as the small farming area they have lovingly called home most of their lives began to rapidly grow. They began acquiring parcels of land in order to preserve it for agricultural use. By 2008 the Willamette Valley had become a world class wine destination and Ken & Celia took note. After realizing the many benefits of viticultural practices for the land, they decided to have one of their parcels evaluated to become a vineyard site. Low and behold, Ken & Celia came to realize they had property with perfect soil for cultivating fine fruit. In 2009 Rain Dance Vineyards was established and their first vineyard was planted on Chehalem Mountain that Fall. With their dedication and enthusiasm, Ken & Celia strive to ensure that Rain Dance Vineyards will honor the heritage of their family and create a lasting legacy for generations to come.
Bryan Weil
Winemaker
Bryan’s progressive path to becoming a winemaker was one that allowed him to combine a passion for food and wine with his acute precision in science and craftsmanship.
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Born and raised in Salem, Oregon, Bryan began his career in culinary school where he was encouraged to take a wine and food-pairing course during his studies. It was there that his passion for wine first took hold and naturally his appreciation and love for Oregon Pinot Noir flourished. From culinary school, Bryan enrolled at Oregon State University majoring in Food Science and Technology where he earned his degree in Enology and Viticulture. Bryan’s vast experiences in both the vineyard and cellar span across three continents with work at Domaine Serene, Tyee Wine Cellars, Hogue Cellars and Kim Crawford. In 2012, Bryan had the unique opportunity to supervise the completion of Alexana Winery and join the team as Winemaker. In 2013 the same opportunity presented itself where Bryan traveled to Argentina to assist in the completion of Alexana’s sister winery Corazon Del Sol. It was also in 2013 that Bryan began working with Celia and Ken to craft Rain Dance wines.
Bryan lives in Dundee with his wife, Meghann and their two young daughters. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, scuba diving, aeronautics, sports, snowboarding and of course food and wine!
Matt Vuylsteke
General Manager Rain Dance Vineyard and Ranch
Matt’s tenure in the wine industry spans over 25 years within winemaking, technical sales, consulting, and entrepreneurial roles. He suspects that winemaking must be in his blood given that his great grandfather was a winemaker in France, and his relatives started one of the first wineries in Oregon.
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A fifth generation Oregonian, Matt holds a BS in Fermentation Science from Oregon State University where he worked in the Enology Extension Laboratory and also as a cellar hand at Tyee Wine Cellars. His next role was at The Hogue Cellars in Washington as a production enologist, eventually returning to Oregon and joining Domaine Serene as assistant winemaker.
Matt went on to establish a vineyard management and winemaking consulting company, and launched his own wine label, 51Weeks Winemaking, with his wife and business partner. Adding to his breadth of experience, he developed extensive business and leadership experience in sales and systems management at global companies Pall and bioMerieux, Inc. Never short on ambition or energy, he completed his MBA while working and raising a family and new business venture. Not to be idle during the pandemic, Matt also completed a Certificate in Wine Business Management from Sonoma State University.
Most recently, Matt was General Manager and Winemaker at Amaterra, where he was instrumental in the design and construction of the gravity flow winery. Additionally, he launched all operations from direct to consumer and wine club to management of the estate vineyards, grower fruit relationships, and winery. Through his leadership, he successfully executed winemaking and operation strategies to meet profitability targets while achieving well-earned brand recognition. He is proud to have filed two provisional patents related to innovative winemaking.
If you know Matt, he is a natural teacher and loves to share his passion and knowledge around winegrowing anytime he has the opportunity. He currently serves on the board of the Oregon Winegrower’s Association as President.
Outside of wine, Matt enjoys tennis, skiing, cooking, and spending time with his teenagers, wife, and golden retriever, Champ, preferably in the mountains or at the beach.
Evan Bellingar
Owns and operates Century Vineyards, a local vineyard management team who proudly farms our five estate vineyards.
Evan is an experienced vineyard manager who loves walking vineyards, working with the crews, tractor drivers, and winemaking team towards the common goal of amazing wines.
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Evan was born and raised in Bellingham Washington. He knew from a young age that he wanted to grow grapes and make wine. Evan attended Oregon State University in the Horticulture department and was the first graduate with the Viticulture and Enology option. He began managing vineyards in 2005 at Oregon State’s Woodhall III Vineyard and then working for local vineyard management companies starting in 2006. In his time designing, developing, and managing many vineyards, he had a hand in the development and farming of all of the Rain Dance sites, starting work at what is now Grand Oak in 2006 and Eagles Watch in 2011.
Evan is a hands-on vineyard manager, he and the Century Vineyards team are constantly walking the sites, monitoring soil health and biology, and making sure the organically farmed vines are getting everything they need.
When not farming, Evan enjoys skiing, hiking, sipping Grand Oak Riesling, reading about ancient history, and spending time with his family.
Michele Dupont Melton
Tasting Room & Wine Club Manager
Michele Dupont Melton grew up between Santa Barbara, California and Heidelberg, Germany, a blend of cultures that shaped her love for food, wine, and the sense of place behind them. Graduate school took her to England, where she remained for a decade teaching Philosophy before discovering her passion for wine, and returning to the U.S.
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She began her wine career at two wineries in Santa Barbara County (Sunstone and Summerland), and later moved to the Willamette Valley, where she spent four years at Dobbes Family Estate, growing in hospitality, DTC sales, and team leadership. Her path then expanded into the wholesale side with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, managing a dynamic spirits portfolio and building strong relationships across the Portland metro market for six years. She was then recruited into a clinical sales role in the medical dental device industry, an invaluable experience that sharpened her technical selling and territory‑management skills.
Ultimately, she realized that her heart — and best work — belong in the wine world. She is thrilled to bring her background in hospitality, education, sales leadership, and brand storytelling back to the industry she is truly passionate about!
Outside of work, Michele enjoys walks with her husband and their corgi, Bowie, trips to the coast, going to concerts, practicing yoga, and cooking Indian food. She is excited to join the Rain Dance team and help create memorable guest experiences that embody the warmth and character of this remarkable estate.