Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/39104
DEPARTMENT HEADER THE CENTRAL COAST CONNECTION LANDS CONWAY FAMILY WINES In a League of Their Own T A view of the Pacific from the Conway Family Wines tasting room on the pier in Santa Barbara. Left to right, the Conways: Gareth, Gillian and Tom. by Meridith May / photos by Fran Collin here’s a 180-degree view of the Pacific Ocean and Santa Barbara Harbor before us. On this typical summer day, the sky is pitch-perfect blue and a breeze is blowing as we stand tall on Stearns Wharf—Santa Barbara’s most visited tourist attraction, greeting an average of five million people a year. Yet, we‘re not at one of the restaurants or knick-knack shops, but instead at a modern tasting room featuring not only a scenic view but some of the best wines produced in top vineyards from Santa Barbara County north to Monterey. Conway Family Wines is a wine company in motion. Founded by siblings Gareth, Tom and Gillian Conway, it began as a project on the family’s 3,400-acre estate, Rancho Arroyo Grande. A peaceful sanctuary situated 13 miles from the Pacific, bordering San Luis Obispo’s Edna Valley and within the Arroyo Grande AVA, the vineyard site has produced highly acclaimed wines since the family’s first vintage in 2007. 48 / the tasting panel / august 201 1