From Mechanical Engineer to Award-Winning Vintner-No Cure For the Wine Bug
The Story of
Raymond L. Haak
Owner/Winemaker of Haak Vineyards & Winery
HESS Club
5430 Westheimer Ct.
Houston, TX 77056
Gather at 11:30 a.m. to meet guests. Meeting Noon to 1 p.m. If you need to leave at 1 p.m. please do so quietly as the speaker will continue to answer questions after the meeting ends.
Raymond holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston, class of 1969. Raymond was born on Galveston Island and graduated from Santa Fe High School. Prior to entering the wine profession, Raymond worked as an Instrument Engineer and was a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Texas for over 35 years.
In 1969 he began growing grapes and making wines in Santa Fe, Texas. After many years of research and experimentation, he and his wife Gladys, built a state of the art winery in Santa Fe, Texas. The winery consist of over 25,000-sq. ft. including a tasting room, gift shop and 1,800 sq. ft. cellar which is used for aging and fermenting their premium wines and a covered, 6,000 sq. ft. special event pavilion where various concerts, weddings & events are held throughout the year.
They also are growing 3 acres of Blanc du Bois wine grapes on their twelve (12) acre estate.
The new winery opened in December of 2000 and produces twenty (20) different styles of wine including seven (7) different wines from the Blanc du Bois grape varietal including, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot, Vintage Ports and Madeira dessert wines. More information may be obtained from the winery’s website at http://www.haakwine.com.
Raymond, and his wife Gladys, were married in 1959 and are the parents of five (5) daughters.