Penmanship... you either learned it in grammar school or you are of the generation who did not. I’m of that generation who had to learn it. I thought it was unnecessary, but during my time at Hafner Vineyard, I have used it a lot! With every gift of Hafner wine that our patrons send, we enclose their special message to the lucky recipient. I handwrite, in cursive, each of those messages. Every Holiday Season, I see sweet notes from parents to adult children and longtime friends to each other. Other notes make me giggle as our patrons often have a good sense of humor. Read more to see some highlights from this year... so far!

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In farming, there is always work to be done and changes to be made. A vineyard typically has a life cycle of about 25 years, so Winemaker Parke Hafner and Vineyard Manager David Huebel are constantly looking at long term plans for the vineyard. After Harvest 2018, we removed 10 acres of vines and began the process of replanting Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. A yearlong project, Parke, David and the vineyard team can now catch their breath with the new vines in the ground and growing happily. We interviewed Parke and David to get their perspectives on the replant and share the process with you.

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Walks through the vineyard with our yellow lab, Annie, have inspired many of my illustrations. Over the years, I have painted the flowers that grow here in the vineyard or on the hills. Some of them are native plants, like the blue Lupine, the California Poppies and the field Mustard. Others (like the Bachelor Buttons and Legion of Honor Poppies), we have sown in our “insectary rows” to provide habitat for beneficial insects. Here I share some techniques I used to create them. 

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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. 

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A fun thing happened this Summer. In the course of two weeks, we heard from a dozen different patrons who all wrote with the same question: Did we know that John Lescroart, the celebrated mystery writer, had woven Hafner Chardonnay or Hafner Cabernet into his books? Yes! We did! We are honored that John and his wife are longtime patrons of Hafner Vineyard, as are their parents and their adult children. I took this opportunity to ask John a few questions about his career as a mystery writer and why Hafner made its way into certain scenes. Here's my interview with John.

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