Since we sell nearly all our wine direct to people at home, we are always trying to cultivate new interest and bring in the next generation of patrons. As the first member in the third generation of Hafners on staff, I was tasked with finding a creative approach to do this. We came up with the idea of hosting the Next Gen Party. It is a fun afternoon with wine, homemade snacks, activities and lots of mingling.
In 2014, the Sonoma County Winegrowers set a goal of being the first county in the country to have 100% sustainably farmed vineyards. Since Day One at Hafner Vineyard, we have focused on minimizing our impact on the environment and farming our 100 acres with the intention of preserving the soil's health for future generations. We were excited that the Winegrowers had sparked this movement, so we joined them. Annually the Winegrowers publish a Sustainability Report detailing the county's progress. We are honored to be included... twice!
We also enjoy receiving photos from patrons. Typically those images capture a delicious dinner or a family gathering with Hafner wine on the table. Occasionally though, we hear from patrons who have enjoyed the wine and also have found a creative use for the left over packaging. From birdhouses and herb boxes to storage containers and cork boards, we love seeing our packaging have a second purpose. Here we share a few of our favorites, including one patron who converted our box into a pinhole camera to view the eclipse! As we strive to reduce our footprint, we are grateful that many of you have found another use for the boxes, corks and more. Thanks for sharing the photos!
As a business and family, we aim to minimize our impact on the earth, hoping to leave it better than we found it for future generations. Energy use is an area where each of us can make a difference. Installed in 2002 and 2011, our solar panel array yields 38% of our electricity. Together, we felt we wanted to do more. Although the cost of electricity increased, we committed to using 100% local and renewable energy, an option provided through our local utilities company. In addition to purchasing clean energy, this means we are supporting local jobs and infrastructure and also using the available resources around us.
We wanted to share a mid-Harvest update from our Winemaker Parke Hafner and Vineyard Manager David Huebel. We also created a fun video with sneak peeks from behind the scenes of the Chardonnay Harvest. Parke shares his thoughts on the benefits of an estate vineyard and how the Chardonnay is made. We hope you enjoy it!
