What I did this Summer…
My niece Marie’s title page reminded me of reports we did as kids on our Summer activities. This Summer, I had a great time visiting The Winery (in London!).

Many years ago, we deviated from our strict business model of “no retail other than directly from us” and elected to sell our wine to just one wine shop in the entire world, The Winery. We had been approached by David Motion, the delightful owner of a small wine shop in Maida Vale, a charming neighborhood in NW London (north of Paddington, southwest of St. John’s Wood and blocks away from the Grand Union Canal in “Little Venice”).

David travels constantly to find small producers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and California (I know…dream job!). Twenty years ago, David called us (“I am in the neighborhood, can I come taste wine?”) and his accent and infectious enthusiasm yielded a green light and the beginning of a decade’s long friendship. We are honored that Hafner Reserve and main Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon are on their (very tall) shelves along with just a few other California wines.

My husband Bill and I visited David, and his charming wife Vera two weeks ago, met the staff, and had a delicious lunch around the corner at Da Daniela. Here are a couple of vacation snaps:

If you ever find yourself in London, visiting The Winery is a treat, especially if you can go for one of their many tastings.

And if you ever want to send Hafner wine to friends in London (or the United Kingdom for that matter), The Winery can help you. Several Hafner patrons have done so for family members in London…with happy results. You can reach David directly at david@thewineryuk.com

I hope your Summer is going swimmingly and that you are finding fun, new adventures and relaxing times wherever you go, even if it no further than the hammock in your backyard.

And how's my Summer since we got back? Well, warm afternoons with my great niece and nephew means ice cream! Here we are celebrating the artist, Marie, with an It's It as a thanks for her contribution to this blog. Her brother, Cole, didn’t want to miss out on the fun.