Last week found me on my semi-annual trip to Los Angeles to work with wine directors and sommeliers. 3 days, 26 restaurants, 452 miles. What did I hear? Consistent praise about the quality of Hafner wine and appreciation for Parke’s winemaking philosophy which favors balance and finesse over power and punch. These wine buyers are scouting for wines that complement their chefs’ cuisine, rather than competing with it.  I also heard about the value Hafner wines offer. My favorite quote? “Hafner overdelivers quality for the price.”

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With the Holiday Rush here, it’s all hands on deck. We are answering phones, responding to emails, entering orders and writing gift notes. Down in the cellar, Spencer and Martín are packaging up the gifts of wine with each personal gift note before the UPS driver arrives. Here's a sneak peek video of the shipping team as they send Gift Packs (a bottle each of 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 Chardonnay) to lucky gift recipients all over the country. 

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Two weeks to Thanksgiving. Four weeks until our Holiday Party. 47 days until Christmas. It feels like we have all the time in the world. And then I remember: at this time of year, time evaporates faster than a drop of water on a hot skillet. Time to plan ahead, especially on the easy stuff such as choosing fun and interesting wines for entertaining and gift giving. Here I share a few of my tips for organizing your wine leading up to the Holidays. That way you can relax and enjoy the festivities. 

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To mark our 50th anniversary, earlier this Summer we launched the "50 Years, 50 States & You" Photo Contest. Patrons were often creative, and sometimes sneaky, in identifying the state where the photo was snapped. Palm trees in FL, corn fields in IA, potatoes in ID, maple syrup in VT. Park signs and road markers were clear identifiers, as were iconic buildings and landmarks. Several families, seized by the competitive spirit, packed Hafner wine on multi-state trips. We all smiled broadly thinking of passers-by driving on freeways watching fun and smiling people posing in front of state "welcome" signs. See who the winners are!

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We love hearing from our patrons! It is not simply the pleasure of being in touch with thoughtful people who enjoy wine, but also it means we hear what patrons are thinking about and looking for. This Summer, we sent a survey to Annual Tasting Program patrons. We asked six to ten questions about the Program and our wines. The answers and the anecdotal feedback are invaluable and help us to make sure we’re satisfying our most important constituency...our patrons! We wanted to share some of the questions that were raised and our answers. 

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