We are often asked, “What is the sediment in my glass and why is it there?” As Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Gerard Basset explained, “They are harmless by-products of wine, and some equate their presence as a mark of quality, in that the wine has not been overly manipulated in the cellar." Tartrate crystals, often referred to as “wine diamonds”, come from tartaric acid which is one of the three acids naturally found in grapes.
We have lived through several wildfires, but none was more impactful or harrowing than the Kincade Fire that reached our ranch in October 2019. We were aware of the impact of smoke taint, but this was our first experience. Here we share what we learned from producing our 2019 Cabernet pre and post fire. With a wine that has smoke taint, the smoky aromas can be appealing, but it is in the mouthfeel and aftertaste that smoke taint reveals its unpleasant character. Ultimately, we decided to sell all of the wine produced after the fire. That means we have less than half of our normal production for the 2019 Cabernet that was just released.
One question I always seem to get when giving a tour is: how do you store an open bottle of wine? For Parke and me, the answer is quite simple. We put the cork back in the bottle and leave it on the counter to save it for the next dinner. Typically, an open bottle of wine will last a couple days on the counter, even longer in the fridge for white wines and Rosé.
Creating a new wine label is both exciting and intimidating. As a member of the production team, I know the wine intimately: how it is made and how it has evolved. As the designer of the label, I want to capture its essence and reflect its heritage. For me, the label should be both timeless and representative of Hafner Vineyard. Here we share all the details that went into the packaging.
We are delighted to announce the release of Hafner Vineyard’s first sparkling wine, our 2020 Blanc de Blancs. This has been many years in the making, and we are excited to share it with you. As the name implies, it is made of 100% Chardonnay and produced in the “Méthode Champenoise”. Making sparkling wine is different from still wine, so we wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at the past few years many our first vintage.
