Each year as the Holidays draw near, and the cold, wet weather sneaks in, I start to anticipate the many, many Holiday gift notes sent by you with gifts of wine to friends and family across the country. And how I get to sit by the office fireplace, all cozy and warm, to write them! It is always fun to see (and write!) what people say to their friends and family.
As the Holidays approach, harvest seems a distant memory, but for the cellar team, "harvest" is not complete until the fermentations are finished and the wines are aging in barrels. I have the long but fun job of monitoring each fermentation, taking the sugars daily and sampling the wines as they progress. I share my findings with our winemaker (and my husband), Parke Hafner, who makes suggestions about our next plans with each lot for the coming days. Follow along on my harvest journey through the blog.
Thanksgiving, perhaps more than any other holiday, is about being together with family and friends, around the table, sharing delicious food and enjoying wonderful wine. This year so many of our plans for Thanksgiving (and much else!) has been turned on its head because of the COVID pandemic. We love hearing patrons’ stories and when photographs accompanied them, it’s even better. It reminds us of what a privilege it is for us to play a small supporting role in the milestone events of our patrons’ lives.
Since last year's Kincade Fire reached our hillsides, threatening the winery, vineyard and homes, we have taken many actions to prepare for future fires. Fire officials suggest two main goals for preparing for a wildfire: 1. Create “defensible space” and 2. “Harden structures”. We took these recommendations and made several changes that we hope will help when the next wildfire comes our way. California has experienced devastating fires these past years. Five out of the six largest fires in California history occurred just this year. As the climate continues to become drier and hotter with stronger winds, we can only predict that massive fires will continue. All of us on the West Coast and in many other areas are faced with this annual challenge. Together, hopefully, we can work to make a difference.
For almost four decades, we’ve been honored to be many patrons’ “secret winery” that they share with friends and family. Since travel and group gatherings are no longer part of our 2020 plans, and patrons aren’t able to visit us here, we decided it would be fun to bring Hafner Vineyard into people’s homes…virtually. We invite you to watch the recording of our virtual tasting where we shared some history, introduced the team, tasted a few wines and had a lively Q&A session.
