One of the most consistent questions patrons ask is, “What is the best way to open an older bottle of wine?” The question is prompted by concerns about an older cork and the possibility of it breaking or disintegrating during extraction. This can happen regardless of how well the wine has been stored or the quality of the cork. We recommend, and use ourselves, an “Ah-So” or “Butler’s Friend” which is a double prong wine opener. Here we share four steps for how to open an older bottle of wine.

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With the release of our 2018 Chardonnay and 2016 Next Red, we thought it would be fun to taste them virtually with patrons. Virtual talks have been a nice way to “be with you” in your home during these uncertain times. This tasting also gave us the opportunity to dive deeper into the wines and winemaking practices. You can watch the recording of our conversation here. 

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Decanting (pouring the wine from the bottle into another vessel, typically a decanter) is a simple, but careful process. It can be intimidating knowing when to decant a wine and when not to. Here I share three reasons for decanting a wine and hopefully they help shed some light on any confusion. Everyone's tastes and opinions are different, so my goal is to share with you what I know about decanting and aerating wines as well as the science behind it. Then it's up to you to have fun and do some experiments tasting the wine as it aerates in a decanter. 

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Hi there! We are the four Hafner Vineyard dogs, and we thought that while everyone is “sheltering in place” it is time you officially meet us. We hope you enjoy a little levity in your day. And if you have a dog (or cat or any pet) toss them an extra biscuit for us! We know it can be tough sheltering in place for you humans, but think about us! Now we have to share our homebase with you all.

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As winemakers, tasting is our number 1 job and in these days of “shelter in place”, tastings are the perfect diversion. While technically we are “working” when we taste, we thought it would be fun to share a tasting game with you. We’ve named it the “Somm Game”. We don’t take it very seriously. It's a way to add a little lightheartedness to your evening and practice learning what you like in a wine. Essentially, it is a blind tasting where you try to guess the wine. Normally, we play the game with our adult children, but with the current situation of coronavirus, we are doing it virtually. 

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