For longtime Paso residents Gary Carmody Conway and Marian McKnight Conway, good wine, good art, and good company have been a way of life. They founded the Paso Robles-based Carmody McKnight Estate Wines in the mid-’80s and began growing premium grapes and crafting exceptional wines.
Join the party
Located at 840 13th St., suite A, in Paso Robles, Art of the Vineyard Tasting Gallery welcomes guests Wednesday through Monday from 1 to 8 p.m., with extended hours for live music, open mic nights, and other special events. Tuesdays are available by appointment. Contact General Manager Mark Elterman at (805) 305-5584 or mark@artofthevineyard.com.
In 2019, they sold their winery to The Wonderful Company, moved to downtown Paso, and recently opened Art of the Vineyard Tasting Gallery that features a tasting room with their wines, a craft mocktail bar, a curated art gallery, live entertainment, and a community gathering spot with games, and painting and craft kits. It’s a one-stop shop for culture, creativity, and hospitality.
Meet your hosts
Gary and Marian married in 1958 after meeting at UCLA. He was a young actor with I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957) to his credit, and she was the 1957 Miss America Pageant winner. Two incredibly good-looking people who Tasting Gallery General Manager Mark Elterman jokes “won the genetic lottery.”
Gary went on to a successful career as a TV star in Burke’s Law (1963 to 1965), Land of the Giants (1968 to 1970), and other TV shows, along with appearing in a string of ’70s and ’80s films like the classic revenge film The Farmer (1977) and the martial arts actioner American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, which Gary co-wrote.
Marian was a successful model and appeared on episodes of 77 Sunset Strip (1961), The Love Boat (1984), and other shows as well starred in the TV film Jack and the Beanstalk (1967). She also coproduced Gary’s film Woman’s Story (2000) that he wrote, directed, and filmed locally.
“Wine and art both begin with vision, craftsmanship, and passion,” Gary, who was recovering at home from an injury, said in a statement. “Bringing these worlds together in Paso Robles is a dream realized, and we love sharing it with everyone who walks through our doors.”
A community space
As soon as you enter, it just feels comfortable. Couches, club chairs, tables to gather around, two bars with seating—you just want to settle in and relax.
“I’ll see people on the sidewalk stop and peer in, and they’re like, ‘Wow, this is really cool,’” Elterman explained. “We’re in such a visible space here. Plus, at night, we project our logo. It kind of circles around, and you just laugh at what people do with it. They’re trying to take selfies. It’s really fun.”
The whole idea was to “build a destination that feels welcoming, memorable, and alive with energy,” Elterman added.
Elterman’s partner, Gina Marie Grieb, is curator and gallery manager. She explained that the warm beiges and browns of the color scheme, furniture, and flooring were designed to put the colorful art front and center.
An art gallery
The gallery is filled with Gary’s original paintings and prints, but Grieb also adds a wide variety of art—from jewelry to blown glass to photography to sculpture to handmade charcuterie boards—all by a mix of local, national, and international artists.
“I try to avoid showcasing [artists] that are already being showcased in our county out of respect for neighboring galleries and studios,” Grieb explained.
She also has some very well-known international artists, including Elizabeth MacQueen, who lived in SLO for a while but now divides her time between Gulf Breeze, Florida; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Paris, France.
“I have a statue from France coming,” Grieb explained, “and I’m ordering a special case for it. It’s a MacQueen. You can’t even get the marble anymore. She made it in Italy.”
Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF ART OF THE VINEYARD TASTING GALLERY
A tasting room
When the Conways sold their vineyard to The Wonderful Company, it came with an agreement to still have access to the grape harvest.
“That’s really important because it’s a really amazing vineyard,” Elterman said. “The actual winemaking is by Marin Wolgamott, and she runs Pacific Wine Services. It’s a full-scale custom crush. That way, I can still carry on this Carmody McKnight legacy.”
Grieb is the mastermind behind the mocktail bar and drinks she calls “zero proof cocktails.”
“It’s creative. It’s fun. It’s experimental,” she said. “We have all these cool botanical fruits, all organic. We try to cater to those who want to create their own creation based on their own taste and preference.”
Express creativity
Both Elterman and Grieb have loved the venue’s open mic nights that happen two Mondays a month. The next one is June 8, from 6 to 8 p.m., where local singer-songwriters, storytellers, spoken-word artists, and poets take the stage in 10-minute sets.
“We really want this to be a community space, embracing art, the experience of art, through our events, wine, mocktails, games, and open mic night, which is phenomenal,” Grieb said.
Artists of any level from utterly talentless to accomplished are invited to purchase a painting or craft kit and try their hand at creativity. Kits are $30, or you can buy a two-person kit for $50. Talk about a cool first date.
“It’s pretty reasonable, plus you get wine or a mocktail, and we set you up to have this sip and paint experience,” Grieb explained. “You get to pick the image you want to create, and it’s self-guided, all levels.”
‘We really want this to be a very community space, embracing the art, the experience of art, through our events, through wine, through cocktails, through games, through open mic night, which is phenomenal.’
—Gina Marie Grieb, Curator and Gallery Manager
It’s an entertainment venue
Events are free but require a minimum purchase of a glass of wine or mocktail.
This Friday, May 29, singer-songwriter Emily Smith plays from 6 to 9 p.m. Think Sheryl Crow or Colbie Caillat.
On Saturday, May 30, the venue will participate in the Spring Wine Walk, a downtown-wide event from 3 to 6 p.m. where ticketholders ($60 at my805tix.com) pick up a glass and spend the next few hours tasting wines paired with gourmet food morsels at participating businesses.
After the event, Art of the Vineyard will host an after-party with Americana and soft rock singer Lynda Tymcheck from 6 to 9 p.m., accompanied by Shane Perry.
On Sunday, May 31, soulful singer-songwriter Lance Robison plays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., mixing originals from his album Codependence Beach with select covers.
Visit artofthevineyard.com to see the schedule and join the community. ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Summer Guide 2026.
