Haak Vineyards and Winery

I visited my first winery in Texas yesterday. I was shocked to find that there is a wine grape hardy enough to grow in this hot and humid climate. It's called Blanc du Bois, which means white wood. They only grow about 3000 acres of the grape here, well, 40 miles south of here. It's a really nice winery and the folks working there were all friendly and were very attentive. They have a very nice air conditioned tasting room. But when they have larger groups, they have tables outside where they do the tastings. They keep the wines in large coolers packed in ice when they are doing the outsides tastings. I was there in the mid-afternoon and the temperature was around 95 so thank goodness for ice. I paid $15 for seven one-ounce tastes (they have 16 different wines to choose from) of my choice, and that included a tour of the winery (I actually saw wine barrels and stainless steel tanks and containers of the Blanc du Bois grapes), and a nice wine glass with the Haak Winery logo. After the tour, the young woman who conducted our tour took our group out to one of the tables on the patio to do our tastings. The young woman pouring the wines had no words for what the wines were supposed to taste like. Every wine she poured, she described as either “cherry” or “berry.” But, she was a good sport when I whispered in her ear the correct way to pronounce Tempranillo. I tried the dry Blanc du Bois, which was a bit too light for my palate but it wasn't bad. Next, I tried a Sauvignon Blanc that had nice citrus and tropical flavors with just the right amount of acid. Next was the “Pink Pelican,” which was a delicious Rose blended with the Blanc du Bois and Tempranillo grapes. It was perfect for the hot day. It really hit the spot with its strawberry nose and it tasted just like it smelled. Yum! Next, I tried the Tempranillo. It was spicy and earthy so I thought it was a pretty good facsimile of the varietal. Next, I tried their Malbec. It was good but nothing that I'd want to purchase. I tried the Cabernet Sauvignon next and I'm a HUGE Cab fan, but not of that one. It wasn't bad, just didn't have the "oomph" that I like in a big, juicy Cab. Last but not least, I tried one of their Madeiras. I had the white Madeira made from the Blanc du Bois grape. It was really good. It was sweet (but not cloying) and nutty and it made me want to sip it with a piece of pecan pie. At 20% alcohol, you wouldn't want to drink much of this one unless you are home with a bed nearby. We were told that there are only a few wineries in the country that are allowed to make Madeira, and they’re one of them. They make 2 Madeiras, 1 white and 1 red, and 2 Ports, again 1 white and 1 red. If you’re not familiar with Madeira, it’s a fortified Portuguese wine that is made in the Madeira Islands. It can be made sweet or dry. After I tasted through the wines I chose, I had a glass of the “Pink Pelican” for $4. I also bought 3 bottles of that one since it was only $12 a bottle and they gave me a 5% discount for buying more than one. The other Rose/Blush wines were called “Red Crab” and “Purple Porpoise.” I plan to try those 2 the next time I visit them. I very much enjoyed my visit to Haak Vineyards and Winery and was glad I drove the 40 miles to visit them. They have concerts every Sunday evening so I plan to go back for the live music, as well as the wine very soon.

Dear Seattle

Dear Seattle, How are things going with you? Hopefully, most of the cloudy and rainy shite is behind you for a few months. I was thinking about you this morning (no, not missing you at all!) and thought I'd give you an update. I started a new job on May 22 with a company called EnerySys. They supply software for SCADA systems for the oil and gas industry. They do project management, and design control rooms (and furnish the hardware and software for the control rooms as well) for the oil and gas industry. I'm their first technical writer and apparently they're trying to work me to death. HA! I've been working every day since Memorial Day. I’m hoping to get a day off soon. I do like the job, though. It's a new industry for me so I'm learning, learning, learning. I LOVE that part of the job. I got an apartment just under 2 miles from the job site. I live in a place called Stafford, which is about 25 miles south of downtown Houston. There's not much to do here in Stafford (except go to the Fry's Electronics store, which I frequent, and eat at various restaurants) but I do love being so close to work. I plan to venture into downtown one of these days and experience some culture. Rumor has it, there are many things to do and see downtown. I’ve even joined a couple of meetup groups but haven’t had time yet to join them on an outing. One group is called Random Acts of Culture (clever) and the other is a wine tasting meetup group called Gusto. There is a wine growing area called “the Hill country” which is north, and which I plan to check out. That might be an overnight adventure. It is incredibly hot and humid here, which will take some getting used to but frankly, I love never having to wear a coat or sweater. Flip flops and A/C are my friends right now. There are many beaches about an hour or so south of me. Stewart beach in Galveston is a nice public beach and is only 60 miles. I've been there a couple of times and can't wait to go back. I went to lunch with a female coworker yesterday and got the inside scoop on the company. I’m trying to reserve judgment, but there seems to be a lot of turnover in the company. That’s not a good sign. Again, reserving judgment. Until the next update, I hope you are showing the Seattleites your beautiful, sunny side. Jude - The Newly Minted Texan