After a very fun three months, Guillaume’s harvest internship comes to a close. His stay has been particularly special to us as he brings the Hafner Vineyard Internship Program into the second generation! His father, Ludovic David, now the General Manager at Château Marquis de Terme, a Grand Cru Classé winery in Margaux, was our intern in 1990. Twenty-seven years later, Guillaume continues the Hafner intern tradition. It’s been a pleasure for us to have Guillaume at the winery and also in our home. He has a great sense of humor making us all laugh whether it’s at the winery break time or around our dinner table.

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Back in 1981, the year before we built the winery, Sarah and I had the wonderful opportunity to be interns in Burgundy, France. There we learned new techniques and gained a new perspective that has greatly influenced the winemaking style of Hafner Vineyard. In 1985, we received a request from a young French enology student to work the harvest with us at Hafner Vineyard; thus began our internship program and friendships that now span generations. This year’s “internship” has been an exceptional one. Some would say that we’ve been invaded, but we consider ourselves lucky. Today, we have three (yes, three!) adorable, hard working and very hungry French kids living with us.

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As I begin the annual process of self-assessment to renew our Sustainable Certification, it is a time to reflect on all we do to reduce our impact on the environment and to solicit ideas from others as to how we can improve. Although we have been following sustainable practices for years, last year was the first year that we became certified with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA). Thanks to the CSWA, sustainable practices are now more codified, scored and maintained.

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We are lucky this year to have not just one French intern, but three! Guillaume Marre arrived in the first week of June and returned to France at the end of September for the start his school. Fortunately, Charles Marcoin and Aurélie Wycke came mid-September, so Guillaume could teach them about the life and expectations of an intern at Hafner Vineyard (most importantly, to spell "P-O-O-L" in front of Annie, our Labrador and waterdog extraordinaire.) Why did they want to be interns at Hafner Vineyard here in Alexander Valley far from Paris? Well, let me tell you...

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A new set of hands has been working with Ricardo and me in the cellar for the past couple of months. He’s fun and he’s French…he’s Guillaume, the intern! He arrived in California on June 10^th and lives with my wife, Sarah, and me on the property here in Alexander Valley. Guillaume has been helping Ricardo and me in the cellar as we get ready for harvest. He and Ricardo make a great team. I often walk into the caves and hear them working away, but also laughing hysterically. Guillaume said he’s teaching Ricardo a few choice French phrases and Ricardo’s helping him perfect the art of Mexican Spanish. Read more about Guillaume's adventures!

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