Spring is a beautiful time in the Wine Country in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley with vines entering their growth spurt and the hills still green from Winter’s generous rain. Here at Hafner Vineyard, it is a fun time for us, gathering with patrons for the Spring Barrel Tastings, which is one of the ways we say, “Thank you for your patronage” to members of the Annual Tasting Program (our wine club) and case buyers from the previous year.
Finding the perfect gift for newlyweds can be daunting. Selecting off a registry is an obvious and safe choice but sometimes we find ourselves wanting to give something unique, something thoughtful, something we love, and something that they can enjoy to kickoff the new life together. Recently we’ve noticed Hafner patrons have found their solution to the perfect wedding gift… the Annual Tasting Program (our wine club). Wines come throughout the year, right to the newlyweds’ doorstep. It’s fun for the gift giver to give and the newlyweds to receive, giving them the opportunity to think back to their wedding.
Here at Hafner Vineyard, we are always looking at ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and create less waste. We try to look at each step in the process: growing grapes, making wine, bottling it and shipping it to you. Then we consider the final waste… the empty bottle which many people recycle, plus the capsule and the cork. We recycle those as well and we wanted to invite you to join us. Introducing our cork and capsule recycling program! All you need to do is follow a few steps in sorting your corks and capsules, box them up and ship or deliver them to us.
We are often asked, “What is the sediment in my glass and why is it there?” As Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Gerard Basset explained, “They are harmless by-products of wine, and some equate their presence as a mark of quality, in that the wine has not been overly manipulated in the cellar." Tartrate crystals, often referred to as “wine diamonds”, come from tartaric acid which is one of the three acids naturally found in grapes.
We have lived through several wildfires, but none was more impactful or harrowing than the Kincade Fire that reached our ranch in October 2019. We were aware of the impact of smoke taint, but this was our first experience. Here we share what we learned from producing our 2019 Cabernet pre and post fire. With a wine that has smoke taint, the smoky aromas can be appealing, but it is in the mouthfeel and aftertaste that smoke taint reveals its unpleasant character. Ultimately, we decided to sell all of the wine produced after the fire. That means we have less than half of our normal production for the 2019 Cabernet that was just released.
