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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Here at Hafner Vineyard, we are always looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint - whether it be sourcing 100% local and renewable energy, shipping all packages carbon neutral (at no cost to our patrons), being certified sustainable in the vineyard and winery or  always trying to do the right thing. Thanks to an incentive offered by the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control Board, we installed two electric car chargers that are available to employees, patrons and suppliers when they visit. 

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Often, I am asked “How long do you age your Chardonnays?” And my answer is always a bit complicated. I do say that our Chardonnays can age easily for five years from the vintage date, but wine is a personal preference. It’s like asking “do you like your steak rare or well-done”; only you know what you prefer. Wine is a bit more complicated than beef, but there are some basic tenets that you can apply and decide what you prefer. Chardonnay, when young, has a bright, lively fruit driven quality that is quite enjoyable. As it ages, the bright, crisp citrus notes become more complex and developed.  

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While the world is turned on its head because of COVID-19, we are grateful to be out in the vineyard, doing what we do best – farming. The pandemic is always a residual concern in my mind. However, agriculture is deemed an essential business, so our work has not stopped. I cannot even begin to imagine where the vines would be right now if we hadn’t been able to work. The vines don’t stop growing. Right now, we are busy shoot thinning and managing the canopy. We are tucking shoots into the trellis and splitting the canopy so that the grapes form in the middle of the vine.

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When we began selling wine in 1984, we decided to deliver case orders of wine ourselves to patrons in the Bay Area. Not only did this save us on shipping expenses but more importantly, we got to know our patrons well, and vice versa! In the beginning, I got to do deliveries, and now Spencer has taken the reins. When the pandemic first hit, we discussed our strategy for continuing to do deliveries. “What is best for our patrons? What do they need?” It was an easy two-word answer: “Wine”, “Safely!”

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