A fun thing happened this Summer. In the course of two weeks, we heard from a dozen different patrons who all wrote with the same question: Did we know that John Lescroart, the celebrated mystery writer, had woven Hafner Chardonnay or Hafner Cabernet into his books? Yes! We did! We are honored that John and his wife are longtime patrons of Hafner Vineyard, as are their parents and their adult children. I took this opportunity to ask John a few questions about his career as a mystery writer and why Hafner made its way into certain scenes. Here's my interview with John.

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Last week found me on my semi-annual trip to Los Angeles to work with wine directors and sommeliers. 3 days, 26 restaurants, 452 miles. What did I hear? Consistent praise about the quality of Hafner wine and appreciation for Parke’s winemaking philosophy which favors balance and finesse over power and punch. These wine buyers are scouting for wines that complement their chefs’ cuisine, rather than competing with it.  I also heard about the value Hafner wines offer. My favorite quote? “Hafner overdelivers quality for the price.”

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Wine tasting can be intimidating, but with a few hints, tasting wine can be lot of fun. And remember, there isn’t a right or wrong answer…it’s your preference. All you need is a little knowledge to back up your opinion and you’ll wow your friends with your tasting skills. I share 3 steps on how to taste wine along with flavor and aroma descriptors plus a downloadable wine descriptions chart. We hope you have fun learning how to taste wine and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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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. 

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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! 

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