Haak News Straight from the Grapevine : June 2010

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Salute!Haak Winery news straight from the grapevine.

In Vino Veritas
In wine there is wisdom
~Latin Toast

Winemakers' Crew Vineyard Update: July Harvest Edition

With July just around the corner, the grapevines are showing their wealth with many bunches of tiny grape clusters. With such abundance, we're looking at a bumper crop year for Blanc du Bois! Shoots & Clusters Now, it's up to the vineyard crew to make their way through the vines and ensure that the clusters continue to grow strong with healthy shoots into July. One cluster needs an average 20 leaves per shoot to ripen to maturity. If we see clusters with tiny shoots, we must remove the clusters to prevent them from sapping energy away from the rest of the vine. These smaller clusters usually never reach full maturity and remain green-tasting and sour. If too many clusters find their way into the final batch of harvested grapes, it could have a negative impact on the flavor. High & Dry This year's dryer growing season reduces the amount of disease pressure on the vineyard, producing healthier grapes in the long run. To make sure the vines survive the dry weather, we drip irrigate near the base of each plant. While weather can be our biggest concern in the vineyard, damage can also be done by our feathered friends. We hang netting over every row in the vineyard to protect the crop from birds until harvest day. If we can dodge hail, late season downpours and little hungry mouths, then 2010 could turn out to be a vintage year not only for Haak Winery, but for all Texas wine. Happy Harvest! This year's Harvest is being held Saturday, July 3rd. We invite you to come out to the vineyard and help us harvest our beautiful bounty. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that you won't want to miss!

Words from the Winery Haak Hits the Open Road (& River) Members of our Haak Wine family will be attending festivals and other off-site events throughout the great state of Texas this month. If you are in the area, we would love to see you! *Head up Highway 6 to Bryan/College Station, Texas, for the Texas Reds Festival on Saturday, June 19th, where our red wines will be making an appearance (www. texasredsfestival.com). *Winemaker Nadia will be pouring at Rio Farms in the Texas Valley to encourage grape growing in that wonderful area.*We will be attending the Wine Society of Texas State Annual meeting in Midland, Texas, on June 25th & 26th, where Haak wines will be featured at the annual meeting. On a side note, Raymond and myself would like to thank Viking River Cruises [link: www.vikingrivercruises.com] for taking such great care of us while we were stranded in Europe from the Iceland volcano ash. We encourage others to take their cruise--they went above and beyond the call of duty to take care of their customers. And finally, if you have visitors in town, we encourage you to bring them to the winery. We have a lovely picnic area and of course, wonderful wine. Sincerely,Gladys Haak

Calling All Cougars Haak Releases University of Houston Commemorative Wine Haak Vineyards and Winery, along with the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton Alumni Association, are celebrating the school's 40th Anniversary with a special Jacquez Madeira featuring a label uniquely designed for the University of Houston. This special commemorative Madeira is now available to everyone for $40. Click here [https://www.wineweb.com/scripts/secure/order.cfm/haakwine] to order online. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the wine will go towards the UH Scholarship Fund. Jam with Dad Celebrate Father's Day on Sunday, June 20th, at our Summer Concert Series. Bring the whole family to the vineyard to enjoy live music from Ezra Charles, great food and delicious wine.

Chef David's Recipe of the Month Spanish Coca (Pizza) with Dry Cured Chorizo, Manchego and Piquillo Pepper Purée | Ingredients, 3/4 cup water (warm to about 110 degrees), 1 1/2 teaspoon of dry yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lard, 2 tablespoons good Spanish Olive Oil (Arbequina preferred), 3/4 cup diced dry cured Spanish Chorizo (we prefer Cantimpalo-style),1 1/2 cups of shredded Manchego Cheese, 1 14 oz. can or jar of Piquillo Peppers (puréed in a blender) Directions Combine 1/2 cup of water, yeast and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside for 15 to 30 minutes until the mixture gets foamy. Mix the salt and flour together in a large bowl. Add the remaining water, lard, olive oil and yeast mixture. Mix together with your hands and knead for about 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Place dough into a lightly-oiled large mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Let dough rise for about one hour until about doubled in size. You may then divide the dough into 1 oz. balls to use as appetizer-size cocas and leave whole to make one large coca. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out the dough to about 1/4inch thick and part bake on a well-greased sheet pan or one lined with parchment paper. Bake until the dough just starts to turn brown. Remove from the oven and spoon on some of the Piquillo pepper sauce, top with Manchego and the diced chorizo. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes to finish the dough and heat the toppings. Enjoy with your favorite glass of wine--we suggest a Tempranillo.

Upcoming Events | June 2010 Haak Tango Show & Dinner Saturday, June 26th 7pm -- 10 pm A delicious three-course meal will be served with award-winning Haak Wine pairings. Tango Dance Show by Susanna Collins and The Latin Carnival. Reservations required. Haak Harvest Festival Saturday, July 3rd
9 am -- 4 pm Our annual harvest event featuring a wonderful lunch, entertainment from DJ Frankie Tambrella, delicious Haak wine, and tastings from other Texas wineries. Door prizes are drawn throughout the day. Visit our Events page [link: http://haakwine.com/events/event_schedule.php] for more information. 4th Dinner in the Cellar 6 -- 9 pm| 6th Summer Concert Series featuring Prime Time Live 6 -- 8:30 pm , 11th Dinner in the Cellar 6 -- 9 pm | 13th Summer Concert Series featuring Yelba & Max Cat 6 -- 8:30 pm | 18th Dinner in the Cellar 6 -- 9 pm | 20th Father' Day Summer Concert Series featuring Ezra Charles 6 -- 8:30 pm | 25th Dinner in the Cellar 6 -- 9 pm | 27th Summer Concert Series featuring Kelly McGuire 6 -- 8:30 pm | July 4th Summer Concert Series featuring Pee Wee Bowen 6 -- 8:30 pm | Haak Winery is currently seeking a outside sales representative. If you are interested or would like more information, please email peter@haakwine.com.