Name: Javier Castellanos

Number of years at Hafner Vineyard: 2 years

Department/Role: I’m part of the vineyard team. I do a little bit of everything.
What’s something most people don’t know about you? I like to go out dancing. (He says with a smile.)

Where did you grow up? Palo Alto, Michoacan, Mexico

Favorite local restaurant: Taco Grande in Healdsburg.

What’s your perfect weekend day look like? I enjoy going out and exploring the Bay Area. It’s really fun to discover the small towns in the area. There are so many.

How else do you spend your free time? I see my friends a lot. We always have a good time together, laughing and joking. Sometimes I do like to go fishing.

Favorite Hafner wine (yes, just one!): I like them all, but the Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite.

What’s the best part of being part of the Hafner Vineyard team? We work together as a team. We are all working towards the same goal, and we are united like a family. Plus we all work hard, so it feels good to do that together.
What’s the most exciting time of the year at Hafner Vineyard? April because we start suckering the vines. That means pruning is finished, and it’s no longer too cold. I know lots of guys on the team like pruning, but it’s just too cold for me!  

What’s the best part of living in Sonoma County? The climate… it’s not too cold. I hate the cold.

Personal motto or saying that you live by: Family first.

Favorite day of the year: Christmas

What’s a memory of when you started working at Hafner Vineyard? I was nervous when I started because the vines are trained on a trellis where the canopy is split. I had never worked with a split canopy. Before I only worked with VSP (vertical shoot positioning where the canes go upwards). But I learned quickly. Antonio helped me out and taught me how to work with it. This helped me realize that we really work as a team.

What’s the craziest/funniest job you’ve done here? Dropping fruit. We work all year to grow the grapes and then we have to drop some of it to the ground, so that the remaining can ripen more evenly and make better wine. It still seems crazy to me though.