Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/39104
“We followed this model previously in California,” Gareth notes. “We were direct for a year while we built up our account base as a restaurant brand. Once we were ramped up, we were excited to be with American Wine & Spirits. We couldn’t be at the level we are now without them.” Although she now resides in New York, Gillian Conway looks forward to coming back home to the ranch, where she rides her beautiful Palomino, Trigger. working now,” she tells THE TASTING PANEL. “We are ramping up business for that time when a distributor makes sense. Honestly, I thought it would be a major challenge to get appointments with wine buyers in New York. I thought I would have to explain the region, the varietals . . . but the complete opposite happened. Not only do the buyers know about who and where, but they are actually excited to meet me.” Gillian has opened over 50 accounts. Gareth has a knack for overseeing production and marketing, but the 47-year-old also comes armed with a degree in management science and minored in chemistry and engineering mechan- ics at the University of California, San Diego. His vision for the win- ery—from its inception to the future—includes a faith in the power of direct family involvement at a time when anony- mous corporations seem to rule the wine world. “We want to impart that the Conways are making decisions every step of the way—this is a family business.” The terroir of the family’s home property is beautifully expressed in the Rancho Arroyo Grande wines, Meet the Winemaker Winemaker Jonathan Médard employs the most modern technolo- gies possible to help guide his systematic—but not manipula- tive—style of winemaking. 50 / the tasting panel / august 201 1 fermentation tanks occupy the 20,000-square-foot facility. The custom-designed tanks allow him to manage small lots through all the critical stages of production. His knowledge of the art and science of winemaking notwithstanding (he holds a degree in enology and viticulture from the Université de Reims), Médard’s philosophy is to create food- driven wines. He also has excelled in reflecting the Central Coast terroir, with a light hand at oak and a respect and passion for the fruit and land. But the tanks are his soldiers. A super-advanced control system is placed on each tank, networked into a computer. Alerts can be sent to Médard on his phone or laptop, allowing him to monitor and modify processes that affect every stage, from the punch-down regimen to seed removal. Conway Family Wines is one of the first wineries in the area to have this customized Fermetrol probe, which can also read sugar-level changes in real time. J onathan Médard takes us on a tour of the winery, where more than 50 stainless steel and the uplifted seabeds on the estate were the motivation for the Central Coast–inspired Deep Sea label. But the Conways are determined to expand their presence in the California wine landscape. They’re currently planning an eponymous label to promote stellar fruit from areas that may lie outside the Central Coast region. “The idea is to identify specific vineyard sites,” Gareth says, knowing that future Conway wines will be as terroir-dependent as Gareth Conway overlooks Coquina Vineyard’s Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier vines. the current offerings. Judging from the family’s recent successes, we can’t wait to get a taste of what’s in store. PHOTO: IAN SHIVE / WATER & SKY PHOTOGRAPHY