As winemakers, tasting is our number 1 job and in these days of “shelter in place”, tastings are the perfect diversion. While technically we are “working” when we taste, we thought it would be fun to share a tasting game with you. We’ve named it the “Somm Game”. We don’t take it very seriously. It's a way to add a little lightheartedness to your evening and practice learning what you like in a wine. Essentially, it is a blind tasting where you try to guess the wine. Normally, we play the game with our adult children, but with the current situation of coronavirus, we are doing it virtually. 

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After the recent fires, we have been particularly aware of the need to reduce fuel near the winery. The Kincade Fire that broke out on the evening of October 24th, 2019 and reached our property in just hours. We have 150 acres of oak woodlands that come right up to the winery and our homes. When considering ways to reduce fuel, we turned to friend and local vineyard manager, Bret Munselle, who has a herd of goats. He was generous enough to bring 35 goats and a beautiful dog named Buddy over to the winery to help nibble away brush, particularly a large patch of the invasive scotch broom. It has been fun to have them here and quite impressive what they are able to eat away.

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What does “Estate Bottled” mean and why is it so important? Winemaker Parke Hafner answers these questions on our blog. All our wines are estate bottled, so we have complete control from growing the grapes to making the wine and the final step of bottling. At Hafner Vineyard, “Estate Bottled” is key to our winemaking philosophy. Great wines begin in the vineyard, and we work hard to grow the best grapes possible. Having the vineyard right next to the winery allows for close collaboration between vineyard manager and winemaker. 

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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. 

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During the Holiday Season, it is “all hands on deck”! We are grateful to our patrons who are so generous with their Hafner wine. Thank YOU! To have some fun, Kate made a short film of our various roles during the Holiday Season. You will see that many hands are involved in getting your gifts from our small family winery here in Alexander Valley to the dinner tables of your friends, family or colleagues across the United States. Happy Holidays from all of us at Hafner Vineyard!

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