Each year as the Holidays draw near, and the cold, wet weather sneaks in, I start to anticipate the many, many Holiday gift notes sent by you with gifts of wine to friends and family across the country. And how I get to sit by the office fireplace, all cozy and warm, to write them! It is always fun to see (and write!) what people say to their friends and family.
One of my roles at Hafner Vineyard is photographer and that means taking photos of the team. Whether it's for our website, team bios, email campaigns or social media, there are always many pictures to take. We enjoy highlighting the people who make Hafner Vineyard possible and find that our patrons appreciate seeing the faces behind their wine. Over the years, I have created a nice relationship with the vineyard team. At first, many were camera shy but not anymore! Even though we have a bit of a language barrier, they are all willing participants with wonderful smiles. When they see me coming, they joke with each other that "Hollywood" is calling. That gets the laughter going.
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!
Patrons often ask what they should do when they visit Wine Country, so we like to share some of our favorite insider tips to the area - things that locals like to do. Cloverdale is my hometown - the northern most town in Sonoma County, located in the Alexander Valley wine appellation. With just over 8,800 residents, we have a bounty of activities - many restaurants, tasting rooms, fun shops, a very popular coffeehouse and nice stroll along the Russian River. Here is my itinerary for a day in Cloverdale.
Harvest is always an exciting time for everyone here at Hafner Vineyard and in our community. It's a moment that we've all been waiting for, the culmination of year's hard work. We start harvesting in the early morning when the grapes are cool. I love photographing these moments - bright lights illuminating the action surrounded by darkness. I came to work early one morning to capture some snapshots. Here I share a few of my favorites.
