Thanksgiving is a time that is filled with abundance and sharing. We've always believed that wine is meant to be enjoyed with food and shared with family and friends. Thanksgiving is a perfect moment for that. One great thing about wine is that it is subjective and everyone has their own opinion, so we, in the office, wanted to share what each of us will be serving for Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving feasts in the upcoming weeks.
Forty years ago, we began our internship program with an agricultural school in Toulouse, France. This year, we welcomed Raphaël Gleize to the winery and our home. He arrived in time for bottling and has been helping with Harvest. He went backpacking with us and has become part of our family, learning the importance of a good iced vanilla latte and reminding us that a cheese board is a requirement to any lunch. Raphaël's internship is nearly over, so we wanted to share a few highlights from his time here. We look forward to continuing our friendship with him both here and in France.
As a family business, I am pleased to announce that our younger daughter, Grace Hafner, is joining our winemaking team this August. She moved to Bordeaux in 2017 where she earned a Masters in Vineyard and Winery Management from Bordeaux Sciences Agro. Following internships at Château les Carmes Haut-Brion in Bordeaux and Château Marquis de Terme in Margaux, she worked for five years at Domaine de la Solitude and Château Lespault-Martillac in Martillac where she was the Maître de Chai.
We are in Holiday mode with wine gift orders coming in via the internet, by email, over the phone and yes, even by fax. People enjoy giving wine because it's sure to be used and enjoyed. This time of year is always filled with hustle and bustle at Hafner Vineyard with all hands on deck. We thought it would be fun to share with people what Hafner patrons gave as gifts last year during the Holidays. Then we also share our favorite Hafner gifts to give and why.
As many of you know, we have a longstanding internship program which began in 1985 when a friend of a friend asked me if I would host a French enology student. As former interns in Burgundy, France, Sarah and I understood how impactful an internship could be…so we said “Yes” and hence our internship program was born. Now, 39 years later, we welcomed our 39th intern – Victor Le Grix de la Salle to the winery and into our home.
