At the start of September, I moved to Bordeaux to study Vineyard and Winery Management through Bordeaux Science Agro’s Master of Business and Science program. One of the things that I was most excited about my move, in addition to the copious amounts of cheese I was going to eat, was the family of interns that I would get to see. Since 1985, Hafner Vineyard has had a French intern from a university in Toulouse to help with harvest. The young man lives with my parents (and me when I was younger!) and usually is between 19 and 21 years old. Growing up, our interns were always big brothers to me. Soon after arriving in Bordeaux, I started meeting up with them, and so far, I’ve checked seven off the list. 

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Thanksgiving is full of meal planning – roasting the turkey, baking pies, making the stuffing, assembling salads. And the list goes on. Often the “wine planning” can be pushed to the back burner, which means there’s a bit of a scramble as the arrival of guests loom. Choosing wine for Thanksgiving can be challenging, so wanted to share some ideas. Whether you serve Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon or even Rosé, the most important part is to enjoy the meal with friends and family.

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The Holidays are filled with family and friends, parties, clinking glasses, laughter and traditions. Often it is those traditions that have us looking forward to the Holidays. They bring a comforting sense of belonging and consistency in one’s life. No matter what the year held, we expect certain things during the Holidays to be the same. It’s a wonderful way to bring the year to a close. We thought it would be fun to share traditions as an HV community both from patrons and employees. We'll share one or two traditions each week here. We hope this will be a fun way to enjoy the Holidays together. 

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As many know, we were evacuated on Friday, October 13th, due to the looming Pocket Fire. While we were preparing to leave, my husband, Martín, suggested I set our game camera at the entry of the winery. That way, when we returned, we could see if any firefighters came or any wildlife fled the hills for safety in the vineyard. Upon our return a few days later, I promptly forgot about the camera. Instead, I left it rolling for the next week. The camera continued to roll and captured life at Hafner Vineyard. I was struck by the routine that resumed. Read more to see some of the photos. 

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"Meet the Team" is our blog series that introduces each of the Hafner Vineyard team members. We answer a series of questions about ourselves and our time at Hafner Vineyard. Even after 22 years, Chema still enjoys the jobs that are fast paced. He's the guy the team turns to when they need to set trellis wires because he walks very briskly with a skip in his step. Might be from all the dancing he likes to do! Something people might not know...his son, Chemia ("Little Chema") also works at Hafner Vineyard with him. 

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