As a family business, I am pleased to announce that our younger daughter, Grace Hafner, is joining our winemaking team this August. Grace was born and raised here on the ranch. Like her sister Kate, Grace worked both in the vineyard and winery as well as at winery events when she was growing up. While it was always my hope that my daughters would come and work with us, I never assumed that they would. I told them both that if they were interested in working at Hafner Vineyard, they had to bring knowledge and experience to the business and both have.
In 2019, Grace received her Master’s in Vineyard and Winery Management from Bordeaux Sciences Agro in Bordeaux, France. Her two and a half-year program required two internships; she worked the harvest at Château les Carmes Haut-Brion in Bordeaux and had a six-month internship at Château Marquis de Terme in Margaux after which she wrote her dissertation on “The Development of Brettanomyces During Ageing”. Upon graduation, she was hired as the Assistant Maître de Chai at Domaine de la Solitude in Pessac-Léognan. One of the Olivier Bernard family’s six Châteaux, Domaine de la Solitude was the perfect place for Grace to learn and grow. During the past five years, she has risen to the position of Maître de Chai making the wines for Domaine de la Solitude as well as Château Lespault-Martillac.
Grace and I have enjoyed a long-distance working relationship. On a regular basis, we discussed how wines at both Hafner Vineyard and Solitude are developing and tasting, what techniques we are using for racking or barrel stacking. Grace asks questions about why I do a certain analysis and appreciates my scientific perspective. Our winemaking style is very similar; we both prefer to make wines that are elegant, pair well with food and are age worthy. When we are together, either here or in France, we enjoy tasting wines and more often than not, our rankings are very close. For both of us, it is important to produce wines that are consistent from vintage to vintage. For our patrons, that means the confidence that we always strive to make high quality wines with consistency. While I may use different barrels or yeasts than Grace, maintaining the winemaking style is key.
Since Grace's arrival on Monday, she dove right in because our Blanc de Blancs harvest is right around the corner. She will work with Ricardo, Raphael (our French intern) and Sarah cleaning equipment, prepping the winery for harvest. In the lab, Grace and I will review our supplies, check the yeasts and nutrients to ensure that we are ready. Out in the vineyard, she will taste the fruit with Sarah, David and me to determine when to pick. It will be great to have another pair of experienced hands (and palate!) working with us to help throughout the winemaking process.

As a father, I look forward to Grace returning home, enjoying meals and adventures together. As a winemaker, I look forward to teaching my methods and techniques as well as learning from her perspective and experience. As a co-owner of a family business, I look forward to handing the reins (albeit slowly) to the next generation. Please join me in welcoming Grace Hafner to Hafner Vineyard’s winemaking team.