As many people know, the Kincade Fire broke out in Alexander Valley and is close to Hafner Vineyard. We are monitoring its progress and will post updates here daily as we can. Thank you to all the first responders who put their lives in harm's way to protect our community. We are so grateful to everyone who has contacted us and expressed concern. We are deeply humbled by that.
What began as a simple request has become a 34-year tradition. A friend of a friend asked me if we would host a young French enology student during harvest. Because Sarah and I were interns in France in 1981, the answer was easy… yes, of course! Fast forward 34 years and we have our 35th intern, Pierre Bardinet. Pierre comes from a winemaking family in St. Emilion, so he brings a fun perspective. He has become part of our family, and our dogs, Annie and Millie, especially adore him since he takes them to the pool and plays in the caves with them. To say that we will miss Pierre when he leaves is an understatement, but we know we will see him again, either here or in France.
The Holidays are busy here at Hafner Vineyard so Mary, my wife and co-founding partner, always planned a Holiday lunch for the winery team...in January. Carrying on her tradition, we gathered last Thursday to have a glass of wine (or two), enjoy a warm fire in the potbelly stove on a cold, wet Winter day and have lunch together. We always enjoy spending time together as the Hafner Vineyard Family and sharing stories of the Holiday excitement. It's a moment to take a breath and appreciate the hard work that we all accomplished throughout the year.
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.
Every July, our household and cellar team grow by one. We hire a young Frenchman as our winery intern for the harvest. He is between his second and third year at an agricultural university in Toulouse. He lives at our home with us and comes to work each day. We started this program in 1985, so Arthur Rebiere is our 34th intern. His internship is coming to an end, but he has made the most of his time here - exploring San Francisco, the Pacific coastline and Sonoma County. He and our dogs have become best friends.
