In the past few weeks, California has experienced a series of rain storms, which has brought much needed precipitation to our dry (and thirsty!) state after years of drought. Here in Alexander Valley, the rainfall has been consistent with about one inch per day – some days heavier and some days lighter. Here is an interview with Winemaker Parke Hafner and Vineyard Manager Dave Huebel with their perspectives on the impact of the rain on our vineyards and ranch.
On Saturday, we had our annual Next Generation Harvest Party. Since we sell all our wine direct to people at home, this is one way that we introduce the next generation to Hafner Vineyard. We welcomed 120 guests to the winery where people tasted wine, nibbled on snacks, joined mini wine classes, shared their Hafner stories, added descriptors to the wine wheel and more. It was a perfect Fall day and a great way to toast the end of Harvest. Thanks to all who joined us!
Giving back to the community has been instilled in our family and thus in our business. That notion is thanks to my grandmother, Mary Hafner. She embraced community and devoted much of her time to others. She listed her profession not as “winery owner” but as “community volunteer”. Grandmother managed our donations program up until she was 80 years old. She then handed it off to me. We are pleased to donate to over 200 nonprofits annually, with donations valued at about $150,000. And we are deeply impressed with the difference those organizations make in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each year.
We are lucky to be the experimentation ground for our friend and budding photographer Chris Bingham. Over the past years, Chris has been honing his photography skills here at Hafner Vineyard whether it be out in the vineyard during Harvest or in the cellar for bottling or on the hillsides in the midst of fires. Last Harvest, Chris took his photography experiment here to a new level by focusing on “stop motion photography” during the post-fermentation draining of Cabernet. The images are evocative and dramatic. We wanted to share the photos with you and give you a little peak into this artist’s life.
What does the expert see?! I took the below photo of a recently formed grape cluster on June 7. While I see beautiful lush green leaves and the excitement of a potential harvest, we wanted to know what vineyard manager, David Huebel, sees when he looks at the photo. He shares the first 5 things that he notices in the picture.
