Art of the Vineyard

Best Selling Stories

Land of legends

More than forty years ago, my wife Marian and I purchased a 19th Century homesteaded ranch west of Paso Robles and six miles from the seacoast art colony of Cambria, within the headlands of stunning Big Sur country.

I first beheld the idyllic beauty of this mountain valley aboard a helicopter moments before it plummeted to the earth. Emerging from the wreckage, I dusted myself off and promptly announced to the still stunned real estate broker, “I’m going to buy this place!” Remarkably this life or death crash occurred a short time before I was cast in the epoch TV series, Land of the Giants, which began with a smash landing into another planet.

Indeed, in the ensuing years this pristine land, now known to lie prominently in the premium wine growing area of the United States if not the world, has evolved into a legendary vineyard.  Legendary is an understatement as the land was tectonically formed 26-million years ago by three volcanoes emerging in lava fire from out of an inland sea.

From this ultimate power international scientists have discovered super soils and wonder soils found nowhere else. Amazingly, the volcano trio exists within the property lines, and the natural grapes grow in the richest earth and nurture in environmental perfection.  Shades of Shangri-La!

Commitment to Equality

Carmody McKnight is devoted to women’s empowerment and parity through expanding education opportunities.  We pledge every barrel, every bottle and the benefit of unique creative energies to the economic and social advancement of all women.

This commitment has been sorely lagging throughout this country’s history as women were second class citizens and always at the bottom of the gender gap. It ultimately took such emancipating efforts just to guarantee women the right to vote. Gender disparity looms consistently over us and through our entire history and may be worse now.

Carmody McKnight itself represents women’s true equality.  It was named for Gareth CARMODY and Marian MCKNIGHT from the very beginning 40 years ago!  In the wine business, gender gap is demonstrated simply in a name.  We know of no other winery named after husband and wife, especially when that is the starting point of the noble endeavor.

Without my Miss America scholarship I would have never attended UCLA and met Gareth and ever known CARMODY MCKNIGHT!

Land
of
Legends

More than forty years ago, my wife Marian and I purchased a 19th Century homesteaded ranch west of Paso Robles and six miles from the seacoast art colony of Cambria, within the headlands of stunning Big Sur country.

I first beheld the idyllic beauty of this mountain valley aboard a helicopter moments before it plummeted to the earth. Emerging from the wreckage, I dusted myself off and promptly announced to the still stunned real estate broker, “I’m going to buy this place!” Remarkably this life or death crash occurred a short time before I was cast in the epoch TV series, Land of the Giants, which began with a smash landing into another planet.

Indeed, in the ensuing years this pristine land, now known to lie prominently in the premium wine growing area of the United States if not the world, has evolved into a legendary vineyard.  Legendary is an understatement as the land was tectonically formed 26-million years ago by three volcanoes emerging in lava fire from out of an inland sea.

From this ultimate power international scientists have discovered super soils and wonder soils found nowhere else. Amazingly, the volcano trio exists within the property lines, and the natural grapes grow in the richest earth and nurture in environmental perfection.  Shades of Shangri-La!

Commitment
to
Equality

Carmody McKnight is devoted to women’s empowerment and parity through expanding education opportunities.  We pledge every barrel, every bottle and the benefit of unique creative energies to the economic and social advancement of all women.

This commitment has been sorely lagging throughout this country’s history as women were second class citizens and always at the bottom of the gender gap. It ultimately took such emancipating efforts just to guarantee women the right to vote. Gender disparity looms consistently over us and through our entire history and may be worse now.

Carmody McKnight itself represents women’s true equality.  It was named for Gareth CARMODY and Marian MCKNIGHT from the very beginning 40 years ago!  In the wine business, gender gap is demonstrated simply in a name.  We know of no other winery named after husband and wife, especially when that is the starting point of the noble endeavor.

Without my Miss America scholarship I would have never attended UCLA and met Gareth and ever known CARMODY MCKNIGHT!

Creation

The World's Rarest Wonder Soil

As this confluence of soil constituents are non-existent in any other land, the Carmody McKnight vineyards prove particularly suitable for innovative technological investigations, which resulted in groundbreaking (especially for wine) viticultural discoveries and revelations.

The university directed seminal studies, research and publications correlating soil nutrients to flavors would not only confirm but also analyze the process of minerals to taste perception and, most socially relevant — to human health and the true understanding of terroir, always the challenge for elite wines!

Significantly, in these preeminent examinations the relationship between abundant macro and micronutrients and trace elements were observed as relating to crop health (in which wine growing is suffering today) and chemically unmanipulated wine qualities.  Read the most important vineyard research ever conducted!

Creators

Family Epoch

Carmody McKnight’s journey from an upstart wine curiosity from a Central Coast cattle town to one of the most esteemed wines in the world is nothing short of high drama.  Few elite or luxury wines unveil such an illustrious course with a narrative that keeps evolving in profound and personalized relevance. It all begins with a romantic interlude when a beautiful and brilliant Miss America meets an artist turning actor at UCLA.

The first few chapters of this family story have been memorialized in a critically acclaimed book,  Art of the Vineyard.  The Conway’s country sojourn with paintings by Gary was published by the prestigious Journey Editions of the Charles E. Tuttle Company and became an early best-seller.   In the review in Booklist, perhaps the most significant in the publishing industry, and as with other reviews — the praise was lavish: “vivid, nearly neon color palette…the images demonstrate the human capacity to love, desire, create, and persevere…a rendering of Conway’s passion.”   Get the whole story here.

Saga

History

1968

1968

Gary Crash Lands on Paso Robles Ranch

1985

1985

Conway Family Plants 68 Acre Vineyard of Chardonnay and Bordeaux Red Varietals

1989

1989

First Vintage, Silver Canyon, Bottled

1995

1995

International Soil Studies Begin

2002

2002

Unprecedented Top Awards Winner
at California State Fair Judging

2011

2011

Dr. Thomas Rice Discovers Wonder Soil

2015

2015

Gary Conway Addresses Beijing University