The Sudduth's take on Santa Fe.....Texas that is!

That's right!  The Sudduth's were the guests of a very kind invitation to head down South near Galveston to Santa Fe, Texas for a VIP Tour and to sample some product from the Haak Winery and Vineyard.  With over 25,000 sq. ft. of space and 4 acres of grape growing land, Raymond and Gladys Haak started up this family run business in 1969.  Our hosts and drivers, Amber & Tom Caver asked us to join 2 other couples for the trek.

From left:  Stan, Vanessa, Me, Mike the Tour Guide, Jen, Ken, Libby, Amber & Tom

We all met at the Caver Casa, consolidated vehicles and headed out of town.  About an hour later we pulled into the parking lot of this charming old family winery.  Every once in a while, just when I think I've stepped foot on every square inch of this part of Texas, I get an opportunity to visit somewhere new.

We started with a tour of the wine making areas, viewed the vineyard fields filled with grapes and then finished up by visiting their very nice cellar where the finer aged wines were safely locked away.  Of course the best part was after walking in the vineyard with 90+ degree temperatures, the cellar remains a consistent 71 degrees, a heavanesque retreat from the outdoor Texas blaze.  The "VIP" part of the deal allowed us to choose 7 samples from their 16 wine/port products.  Crackers and cheese to cleanse the pallet were presented and we eagerly began.  Our tour guide Mike gave us a thorough background on each wine and we all made our way through the list with lots of agreement on their best offering, which I believe we settled on a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.  Most wines were priced in the $20-$30/bottle range with some of the ports going for a little more.

The evening concluded with more wine (purchased), a casual supper and much laughter under the covered arena accompanied by some good live country music.   All in all, a great way to spend a beautiful Texas summer Saturday evening with good friends, fine wines and another piece of Texas to brag about. 

A huge thanks to our hosts for including us and to our new friends for allowing us to share a great experience with them.  And for those of you wondering, yes indeed, I paired a white cotton Guayabara Shirt with Orange Seersucker shorts.  When vineyarding, one must dress the part!