WTN: Howie's Unoaked Chard

If you ever happen to see Howie Hart schlepping around your neighborhood with a heavy suitcase ask him if it harbors some of his zippy 2005 Hart's Wine Cellars Niagara-On-The-Lakes Chardonnay. If he says it does, then if you like your Chard dry and unoaked and tasting like fresh apples and melon then I suggest you beg or steal a bottle of this tasty little food wine.

As Florida Jim likes to say, "I'd buy it again," although in this case it isn't for sale. As wife Diana and I were staggering out the door a couple of weeks ago after dinner at Chez Bucko in Olympia, East Coaster and guest of honor Howie stuck a bottle of this homemade wine under my arm. (I think there's Howie's photo of Diana and me and the wine somewhere on this board.) Tonight I popped the cork, making sure there was a backup bottle handy as we always do when about to slurp made-it-myself wines from friends. No need for the backup. The Hart wine was crisp and clean, light on the palate and with a charming medium finish that brought to mind Honey Crisp apples, and it went perfectly with a chunk of simply prepared cod.

Good job, Howie.

Sounds nice. How long have you aged your wine Howie? (Or, what are people's experiences with older wines from Howie)..

Glad you enjoyed it Clint. 2005 was a good year for grapes in the area with a very long dry season - similar to this year, which I'm looking forward to. I still have a few bottles of it left and a few bottles of a lightly oaked version.

Rahsaan - for some reason I have trouble aging my wine for any length of time, as they tend to be given away or consumed. I believe the oldest home made wine I have right now is from 2003. I do have some '04 Cab Franc in the cellar. Sometimes, however, when I give a bottle to a friend they put it away forget about it and give it back to me many years later. A few have been dead, but I was pleasantly surprise that one of the first wines I ever made, a 1976 Dry Concord, was returned to me a few years ago by a former co-worker I had lost track of. It had aged quite nicely - lost it's purple hue, but was still sound and gained complexity, while maintaining its Concord character.

I was pleasantly surprise that one of the first wines I ever made, a 1976 Dry Concord.

Wow, a 30 year track record. Sounds good..

Personally I would be curious to see what happened to these creations over time. But, whether young or old, sounds like people appreciate the wines. And that's what counts.

... I was pleasantly surprise that one of the first wines I ever made, a 1976 Dry Concord, was returned to me a few years ago by a former co-worker I had lost track of. It had aged quite nicely - lost it's purple hue, but was still sound and gained complexity, while maintaining its Concord character.

Howie, that is a true testimony to your winemaking and to the worthiness of Concord as a variety. Haughty wine circles have made Concord their favourite whipping boy, yet your homemade example withstood three decades of bottle age and was still sound. Amazing!

Or, what are people's experiences with older wines from Howie

I'll have a chance to answer this question in the near future - I still have a bottle of Howie's 2002 "Celebration" dry Cayuga sparkler that I've held on to, but plan to open soon. I recall trying it a few years ago and really enjoying it then.