Harvest 2022

Happy Harvest!

It’s harvest time again! At Conway Family Wines, Autumn is a special time of year. When the first vineyard block is ready to be picked, a sense of excitement and urgency takes over as the anticipation of receiving our first grapes is upon us. Our 2022 vintage came in a little early, and there was much preparation to be done for the arrival of our hand-harvested grapes. With every vintage being a little different, the hustle of arranging harvest is always a thrill. There is great satisfaction in watching the first grapes of the year tumble into the press, and we are always grateful when Mother Nature has provided us with another excellent crop.

The 2022 harvest was interesting due to the heat waves we experienced in the Santa Ynez Valley. For the first time since we began making wine in 2007, we brought in our Pinot Noir before any other varietal. Typically the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay come in first, but record temperatures ripened the Portico Hills Pinot Noir block ahead of time. We were lucky to get the fruit in before any mishaps, and are so happy with the quality and condition of the grapes. We can’t wait to see how the rest of the vintage turns out!

This year was especially busy for our family, with the GRAND OPENING of our second Deep Sea Tasting Room in the Ventura Harbor Village. We’re thrilled to have found another space with an open patio, and harborside views where our Deep Sea and Conway wines can be enjoyed by members every day!

We look forward to sharing our wines with you, and thank you for your support of our family winery. Happy Harvest!

Cheers, The Conways 

Sep 23, 2022 at 1:13 PM Permalink

Its Good to Know About Merlot

And now, for the wine-geek that is hidden inside all of us, some fun facts about Merlot, and why you should be drinking more of it…

Merlot has a storied history in winemaking, as a highly respected, and established varietal. Merlot was first popularized in the 1780’s in France’s Bordeaux region, and has continued to be produced in France through the ages, and in more recent decades in the US, Australia, Italy, Chile, and Argentina.

Sadly, Merlot’s reputation has suffered a bit in California, due in part to some large producers making some rather lifeless versions of this classic and otherwise delicious grape. Because of this, Merlot is sometimes dismissed by today’s wine drinkers because it is assumed that it lacks the sophistication of Cabernet Sauvignon, or the trendy appeal Malbec. 

If you already love Merlot, then you can drink it with the confidence of someone who knows that you’re not alone. Over 18 million cases of Merlot are consumed in the US every year. All those people can’t be wrong! Merlot is the fifth most widely planted red wine grape in the universe, falling only slightly behind Cabernet Sauvignon. 640,000 acres of this tasty grape are planted worldwide.

If you haven’t had a merlot recently, here’s why you may be missing out.

The most expensive, collectible, and highly sought-after wines in the world are made with 100% Merlot grapes. Take for example, a bottle of 1982 Petrus. This world famous wine is made with 100% Merlot grapes and the average retail price is $6,000 a bottle! Surely even someone who doesn’t usually like Merlot would give that a try!

For those of us a little more price conscious, great Merlot can be found right here, in Santa Barbara, and we happen to make two wines that are 100% Merlot. Our 2012 Octopus Merlot ($28.00), and our 2013 Ringo’s Rescue Red ($22.00).

Merlot offers flavors of chocolate, blackberries, plums, licorice, black cherry, blueberries, and jam. It is juicy, opulent, and completely delicious.

Merlot is so special; it even has its own day. 

November 7th is International Merlot Day, and we should all be prepared to pay homage to this awesome, historically significant, and popular grape. The best way to celebrate? Pop a cork of the Deep Sea “Octopus” Merlot, Sta. Ynez Valley, carve off a tasty piece of tri-tip, or roasted chicken to pair with it. Or, if you have a sweet tooth like me, a big chunk of dark chocolate can’t be beat. Enjoy the bliss that comes with knowing you have a special glass of wine in your hand, made with special grapes that have been enjoyed the world over, for hundreds of years!

Cheers,

Gillian Conway

Nov 2, 2016 at 6:56 PM Permalink

Rosé All Day- Santa Barbara Style

Rosé!

If there was ever a way to measure the increase in demand and popularity of this light, crisp, and delightfully pink drink, it is by the sheer number of instagram posts referencing the consumption, enjoyment, and “cool factor” of rosé this Spring.

Rosé or pink wines enjoyed some popularity in the US in the 80’s, then developed a bad rep among wine snobs and later by consumers who still confuse it with the infamous White Zinfandel, or Blush.

But the real rosé -the kind with fragrant floral and fruity aromatics that lead you to fresh fruit flavors, stony minerality, confident structure, and surprising textures, has recently come into fashion everywhere. This is not the rosé that comes in a box, or that you drink with a straw or serve on ice. (Side note I’m actually totally ok with ice in my rose ever since I visited Provence and witnessed the French habit of serving glasses of rosé along with a second glass filled with ice, and a little silver spoon. If they can do it, so can I).

Its cool now to drink rosé, and I’m pretty excited about it. Even Brad and Angelina have their own Provence rosé brand, which I must admit is pretty darn tasty. So what’s so alluring about it? Is it just the color? Every shade of pink is available, even the novice wine drinker can appreciate the plethora of pinks to choose from. And not just the color, rosé can be sweet, dry, fruity, stony, crisp, fresh, lazy, syrupy, and even leaning toward a veiled attempt to be a light red wine when it’s concentrated enough. Rosé from Tavel in the southern Rhone Valley for example could almost pass for a Pinot or Beaujolais; the color is so rich and rubylike.

Maybe its more than pure aesthetics. Perhaps a gorgeous salmon pink bottle conjures romantic images of sun bathing on the beaches of Antibes, sipping away on a shady patio at the hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, channeling Hemmingway. One sip and suddenly we are strolling through streets dappled with the famous golden light of Provence, signing contentedly at a full glass of the palest pink wine, while the murmured laughter of families on holiday echoes through the crowded courtyards of beach towns all along the cote- du Azure…

Exotic vacations aside, its just fun to drink something other than White or Red. Rosé is a daytime wine, its also a great dinner wine. Its versatile, usually has enough acid to stand up to poultry, fish and even pork chops. Its festive, and has an aura of the season, in the same way Champagne always feels like the holidays, only it speaks of warm days, and summer gatherings. Since it is often lower in alcohol than red wine, rosé has the reputation that it can be drunk in larger quantities, over a long period of time, making it a great wedding wine, or vacation wine. The popular hastag says it all #roseallday, though I don’t recommend forgetting that it is indeed #wine and it will make you #drunk if you’re not careful!

For me the appeal is in the romance of its origin, but I shouldn’t yearn for far away places, when rose from my backyard is equally enchanting. Our Deep Sea “Sea Star” Pinot Noir rosé is made with grapes grown in Santa Barbara County, a place not dissimilar to the South of France. Santa Barbara has been nicknamed the American Riviera since the 1930’s when the glamorous Hollywood elite would frequent the Cabrillo bathhouses, and the El Encanto Hotel. Juicy cherry and strawberry flavors make our 100% Santa Barbara Pinot Noir the perfect summer wine. Its a sipping experience that is light, fruity, and dry, with a whisper of sweet red fruit on the finish. It’s everything I want from a Rosé. Bursting with fresh watermelon, cherry and peach fruit notes, the first sip of this Santa Barbara sipper will kick-off all the fun of Summer, and whisk me away to the beaches of my imaginings. South of France? Sure, maybe another time. For now I’ll stay home, pop a few corks, and dream of being right where I am. #roseallday #drinkpink #pinkwine #myrose

Jun 1, 2016 at 2:38 PM Permalink

Oh Boston, I bring you Santa Barbara Wine

This week I’m taking a break from beautiful ocean vistas, sunny days, azure tides, and post-work beach walks in exchange for cooler weather, forecasts of rain, and post-work Sam Adam on tap.

Yes, I am leaving Santa Barbara wine country, and the Deep Sea Tasting Room to board a 6 AM flight headed East, to peddle my wares beyond the scope of the American Riviera. More specifically, I’m headed to peddle in the land of our rebellious forefathers, imposing brownstones, Paul Revere, the Green Monster, lobster rolls, top collegiate institutions, sherbet colored kakhis embroidered with cute sea creatures, and disastrous underground transportation projects. I’m headed to the birthplace of Sam Adams (brewery not revolutionary patriot) and also Harpoon Brewery, the producer of The Winter Warmer, a beer that proved the spirit of Christmas can be bottled and consumed by girls who “don’t like beer” everywhere.  Boston, here I come, and I bring thee the gift of Santa Barbara Chardonnay and Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, straight from the heart of the Sta Rita Hills and the Santa Maria Valley

What’s that? You’ve never heard of Deep Sea or Conway Family Wines? Or Santa Maria? Or Santa Ynez? Don’t worry Boston, by the time we part ways, I will have met with at least 25 influential tastemakers in your town (the guys and gals who chose the wines you see on lists when you go out to dine) and I am 100% confident that Deep Sea is going to end up on a wine list near you.

This weeks blog will be an account of my adventures selling California wine in Boston, a city that is close to my heart, for it is here that I experienced falling in love for the first time. Falling in love with wine, that is. My deep and everlasting love for all things vino began here, when I discovered how delightful a fruitbomb from Australia really could be for a young palate, new to the world of wine.

 Until the last decade, Boston was considered more of a “beer and whisky town” due I’m sure in part to its distance from US wine producing regions, the Blue Laws preventing consumers from ordering California wine online, and also the demographics of its drinking population. With over 100 colleges and universities in the Boston and the greater Boston area, the drinking scene is heavily under the influence of undergraduates.

When I arrived at Emerson College in 2003, it was a rare thing to see wine at a party, and rarer still to be the one bringing the wine. But if you took a trip in the dolorian back to my freshmen year, you’d see me with a magnum of $11.99 Yellowtail in hand, proud to be drinking this sophisticated, modern, and exotic beverage called Shiraz. People thought I was pretentious at best, uncool at worst, but in time the trend caught on, and more and more parties had wine, and more often than not in Boston, it was Yellowtail.

I give Yellowtail full credit for the millennial wine revolution in Boston as I can personally attest to having seen firsthand their guerilla marketing efforts while I was attending classes downtown. Plastered on every bathroom stall, T- station wall or entrance, park bench,  bus, and liquor store window were ads for Yellowtail. Delicious, shiny, colorful ads that spoke directly to me. Yes, I am a self-confessed Yellowtail lover. I don’t drink Yellowtail anymore, but I certainly did then, and I attribute their brilliant marketing to the capturing of more than a few college hearts back in 2003.

Since then, the foodie/wine/cocktail scene has exploded, and the bars and restaurants in the South End, downtown, backbay, and even provincial-at-times Beacon Hill offer fabulous wine lists, artisanal cocktails, and a plethora of dishes featuring pig organs. Seriously pig organs-they’re a hit.

As with other college towns, interest in wine and craft beer has replaced cheap beer and vodka sodas for many an undergrad. Which is why I am gong there, to this city I love, bringing great Deep Sea and Conway wine from Santa Barbara. I won’t be plastering any bathroom stalls with clever ads, meant to hook millenials, because in Boston, they’re already hooked. Now I just need Deep Sea to reel them in. Say tuned for more adventures this week…!

May 2, 2016 at 1:04 PM Permalink

Thanksgiving Wine

It's time to think about your Thanksgiving Wine.

2009 CONWAY Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford

Thanksgiving is a special, historical holiday. Celebrate with a wine that will captivate you, andtransport you to the beginning of the California wine story.

The story begins in a special place called Rutherford.

Rutherford has immense historical significance in the wine world, and has been the site of preeminent vineyard plantings since the 1850's. In 1864, Elizabeth Rutherford and her husband Thomas Rutherford were given a 1,040 acre portion of land as a wedding gift from Elizabeth's grandfather, George C. Yount. Subsequently, Thomas Rutherford went on to establish himself as a wine producer in the years preceding the turn of the century. Vineyard plantings in Rutherford survived Phylloxera and Prohibition, two major crises for the budding California Wine Industry. Pioneering vintners, viticulturists, and winemakers have followed a strict adherence to quality from the early days of wine production in the area. These elevated standards are still practiced today, and continue to shape the reputation of the Napa Valley. In 2009, my family had the rare opportunity to purchase grapes from a famous vineyard site in Rutherford(regrettably the contract does not allow us to disclose the site name).

However, we can say that our 2009 CONWAY Cabernet Sauvignon is made with the finest grapes from this unique and historically significant area. Each step of the process from harvest to bottling was executed with precision and extreme focus on quality. The care and attention this wine received during its creation is apparent in the unique character and complexity of the finished wine. The first sip is captivating, the famed “Rutherford Dust” evident in the glass.

From now until Thanksgiving Day, we are offering 6-packs of our 2009 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon for only $45.00/bottle or $270.00/ 6-pack. Don't miss out on this rare opportunity to drink $77.00 wine for only $45.00.

Order Now by calling us (805) 709-0151 or visitwww.conwayfamilywines.com

Cheers!

The Conways

Nov 11, 2015 at 10:29 PM Permalink

Team Deep Sea tackles Santa Barbara Century

Team Deep Sea/Conway Family Wines pedals through another successful Santa Barbara Century! This marks our 5th year as participants and our 3rd year as sponsors.  Congrats to all the winners on the very tough timed Gibraltar climb!  If you only ride one bicycle event a year, this one should be it!  If you would like to join our Deep Sea team and/or order one of our awesome cycling kits please drop us a line!  john@conwayfamilywines.com

Oct 20, 2014 at 4:34 PM Permalink

Winemaker Andrew Adam scouts the Estate Potrero Vineyard

Check out this video of Andrew scouting our dry farmed Potrero vineyard. We are getting ready to bring our Zin, Syrah, and Grenache in a few days!

click Video 

Sep 25, 2014 at 3:50 PM Permalink Comments (1)

LA Times mention

The LA Times gives the Deep Sea Tasting Room a "top pick" for Fall travel destinations.  Put a Santa Barbara Soiree on your calendar and come visit us!

Sep 15, 2014 at 1:18 PM Permalink