For many years, the front door of Mary and Dick’s Berkeley home has graced the cover of our Holiday gift offering. When Scott suggested that I update the cover by creating a new illustration, the subject of gathering around the table for Christmas dinner came to mind. Dinner with family and friends is always a highlight to our Holiday Season.
Every season here in Alexander Valley is special, and this time of year is no exception. Right now when I walk with my friend in the early mornings, I realize Spring is here. The air is fresh and crisp. The sunrises are often brilliant pink turning to orange and then yellow with wispy clouds. The sounds of birds chirping as we make our way through our small town. At Hafner Vineyard, I enjoy photographing Springtime because the vineyard and hillside are covered in my favorite color…vibrant green! The most dramatic photos are when the young leaves have just pushed from their buds and catch the rays of sun.
A few weeks ago as I walked through the vineyard with our dog, Annie, my eye caught sight of a lone Eschscholzia californica, a California poppy. It caught me by surprise, because poppies typically start blooming here in the Spring. It was a bit tattered by the rain, but it stood out amongst grasses with its vibrant orange hue. When I returned home, inspired by its defiance of Winter, I decided to paint a botanical rendering of it.
Big bottles mean big celebrations and in our family, a big bottle means a jeroboam, it’s the equivalent of 6 regular sized (750 ml) bottles! What would be better to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday than a jeroboam of Hafner Cabernet? I looked through my cellar and found a 1990, which was an excellent year here at Hafner Vineyard. A 25-year-old wine! There is a theory that the larger the bottle, the slower the aging process. To test that, I went down into my cellar and found a 750 ml bottle of the same vintage.
It's a Rorschach Test! What do you see? A familiar and beautiful watercolor painted by Sarah Hafner of our winery built in the classic 19th century California barn style? The lovely blue skies that Sonoma County is blessed with so many days each year? Maybe Lily...the eternally sweet yellow Labrador resting in the shade on a warm day? For me, I see all these but foremost I see the generosity of our patrons. We had these gift bags made in response to patron feedback about tissue-wrapping our Reserve Chardonnay. Patrons spoke of how much they enjoy sharing their Hafner wines with family and friends. You can imagine how grateful we are for that!
