Ep. 8: Martin Bernal Hafner of Alta Orsa

In the 8th episode of the Vine and River podcast, host Lenka Davis visits a young vigneron, Martin Bernal Hafner, who leads the small team at Alta Orsa winery. A native of Colombia, Martin’s winemaking experience spans three continents, including work in Mendoza and the Northern Rhône with the respected producer Chapoutier. Currently, Martin makes wine and co-farms the Alta Orsa property nestled in the hills around Hopland. From the very beginning, Martin Bernal Hafner, Roger Peng, and Ricardo Garcia shared the vision of putting farming at the heart of Alta Orsa’s philosophy. Martin opens up about challenges of farming a site with dense plantings, handling vine trunk disease, logistics of using sheep to graze the vineyards and other environmentally thoughtful activities he is implementing at Alta Orsa.