Tag Archives: Christian Huber

Real Indiana Chardonnay?

08 Friday Dec 2023

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a piece I write quarterly for Madison Magazine, East Central Indiana. This column on Indiana’s first Chardonnay was published earlier this year.

Passing a successful business down through generations is the American story. The choice for each new generation is to keep things the same or go new directions.

When it comes to Indiana wineries no one is making big change like the young brothers at Huber Winery. The winery, with its history on a hill in southern Indiana, is known as the best Indiana vineyard site. Christian and Blake Huber are going boldly into new areas for an Indiana winery. They have planted and are making Chardonnay!

Blake Huber

That may not sound so bold but considering there is no Chardonnay grown in Indiana, it’s groundbreaking. There is a hybrid that is similar called Chardonel. It’s generally insipid. The two graduated from prominent viticulture schools..

“To my knowledge no one else has tried to plant Chardonnay,” Christian Huber said. “Indiana has been known for bulk, sweet wine. I love to say sweet wine built our family’s legacy and it’s built out our distillery. It’s paid for so much stuff for us here on the property.”

Jill Blume, enology specialist for Purdue’s Wine and Grape team, said Huber’s is probably the only winery in Indiana that has successfully grown vinifera grapes. “Other wineries and grape growers have tried to duplicate Huber’s success, but it just hasn’t panned out, she said. “Huber’s are on a special point, terroir, KNOB which has spared them from the extremely low winter temperatures that have been so detrimental, even to hybrids like Traminette.”

The secret to Huber’s success and future is its unique location. “We are one of the highest points in Indiana, about 900 ft. above sea level,” Blake said “We’re sitting right on an escarpment where the glaciers went through. We have very diverse soil composition.”

They continue to look at growing patterns and growing degree days. If you don’t believe in climate change, ask a farmer.

“The vineyards of Indiana are warming up,” Christian said. “The climate is getting better for vinifera – often defined as old world grapes: Chardonnay, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, etc.

Christian Huber

Indiana is dominated by hybrid grapes Traminette, Chambourcin and many others. “One of our biggest hurdles is we’re in the Midwest and people just don’t want to drink wine from the Midwest.”

It won’t stop with Chardonnay.. It’s not so simple as tearing out a vineyard and putting in new vines. The brothers studied the soils on the sprawling Huber property for more than two years until they found a spot they liked. A frost killed off most of the vines in 2019 and the process started all over again. Finally, they had a small 2021 harvest and made about 100 cases of wine. Consumers approved by snapping the Chardonnay up in about 3-4 months. There was no announcement, promotion or distribution.

The 2022 crop was twice as large and should be 250-300 cases. During my March visit the bottling lines were busy with the new vintage. The wine, just 2 hours removed from the production line, was unlike anything I had tasted in Indiana, and was much more like a lower-tier White Burgundy. And for the wine geeks, the Chardonnay was varietally correct.

The first harvest produced 2-2.5 tons per acre; 2022 was much closer to norm at about 4 tons per acre.

The current generation, father Ted, was skeptical. “My Dad called me crazy when we first started,” Christian admitted. “He said it’s something that’s really hard to grow. It’s going to be really low yield.” He also told his sons their price of $24.99 was “crazy.”

It doesn’t stop with Chardonnay. The brothers anticipate starting Sauvignon Blanc vines as early as 2024. Merlot, Riesling, and Syrah are likely to follow. They will also plant more of their very successful Cabernet Franc. I’ve called the Cab Franc Indiana’s best red wine.

This new generation has learned from family legacy, their education and their Dad. They’re ready to take Huber’s legacy and build their own.

Huber sons could change Indiana wine, perception

15 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by in Indiana

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STARLIGHT, IN. – Becoming a part of and eventually taking over a family business is a big challenge. Christian and Blake Huber are thriving and planning as they join the family’s day to day operations.

The Hubers have been on the same hilltop property near the little town of Starlight and just up that hill from New Albany since the early 1800s.

Huber Winery and Starlight Distillery have become industry leaders with the guidance of Ted and Dana Huber along with Ted’s cousin Greg and his wife. Dana and Ted’s sons have completed impressive wine education degrees and gained practical experience at a few of the world’s top wineries. The sons are ready to help the already-growing business and make their mark with a few bold new ideas.

Christian, the oldest of the two, is a graduate of Niagra University in its Viticulture/Oenology program at Ontario, Canada. He spent time at IU’s Kelley School of Business and has worked harvests for California wineries like Joseph Phelps. Younger brother Blake graduated early this year from Cornell University’s wine study program. Among his internships was time spent this summer at Petrus in Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France. He’s currently working at Napa Cab powerhouse Dominus.

Christian Huber pours for our tasting

Christian is working at the winery now and Blake will soon join his brother in full-time status.

So the young men are more than ready to help the family move forward in exciting directions. And, it’s not like Dad has been standing still. Huber Winery’s production has grown over the past couple years from 50,000 to 90,000 cases. The relatively new spirits business has become very successful and nationally recognized for excellence. Last year the spirits business sold approximately 10,000 six-pack cases. Christian said that growth could reach 15,000-20,000 this year.

Two years back, patriarch Ted said the goal was to match spirits production to the wine number.

Walking the grounds Wednesday (Oct. 14) with Christian and tasting wines and spirits, his enthusiasm alone forecasts interesting things.

He has planted Chardonnay, not Indiana-grown hybrid Cshardonel, and Pinot Noir on a recently acquired piece of property. The vines must age before you can taste and buy the wines but it’s a challenge. Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult to grow.

I’ve long told others Hubers has the best vineyard site in Indiana. They are successfully growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Right now the Cab Franc is the best of that lot. The vinifera blend Heritage is arguably  the best red wine you can buy grown and made in Indiana.

But the Huber boys, let’s call them that, have their eyes on becoming known for the vinifera grapes instead of the hybrids grown in most of the state. Christian wants to soon plan Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Riesling, and perhaps Syrah.

His dream is to develop the Knobstone area with the family’s Indiana Uplands property as it’s own Agriculture Viticulture Area (AVA) or as a sub region. Knobstone is a rugged geological region in southern Indiana which has potential of growing difficult grapes with a traditional vinifera taste profile. The Pinot Noir is planted within the area now on top a limestone base. Those grapes aren’t ready to make wine yet but could be in the next year or two.

Christian also sees a Chardonnay made as an unoaked Chablis-style wine which would please wine fanatics.

The big picture is to create a Knobstone winery with its own label and even tasting room. The wines would be a premium product, at a higher price, unlike anything in the state.

But with all of the ambition and big plans, reality sometimes bites. The late frost in early 2020 devastated the vineyards. A normal harvest of 250-300 tons of grapes was just 100 tons this year.

I’ve long thought Huber diversity, with a new generation coming on board, and Oliver’s explosive growth are the two best wine stories in Indiana and maybe well beyond Hoosier borders. Wednesday’s visit proved that’s still the biggest news in Indiana wine.

Huber Sons To Continue Tradition

07 Saturday May 2016

Posted by in Indiana, Newspaper Column 2016, Uncategorized

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Christian and Blake Huber made career plans not long after learning to walk. If that seems silly, it makes perfect sense in a nearly 175-year- old family business.

The Huber family has farmed property near Starlight, In., atop the hills overlooking Louisville and the Ohio River valley, since 1843. The youngsters’ plans assure the Huber name and tradition will continue for a seventh generation as Huber’s Orchard, Winery, and Vineyards.

Grape Sense Logo“I was in kindergarten,” 20-year- old Christian said, stifling a laugh. “We had one of those ‘what do you want to do when you grow up?’ things. I wrote down winemaker and my teacher thought, ‘who is this guy?’ His family alcoholics or something?’ “

Turning over a growing business with 130 full-time employees and 700 acres in agricultural production was never a given. Blake said his parents never pressured him or his brother to consider the family winery as a career.

The young mens’ first steps are underway. Christian attends Niagra University in its Viticulture/Oenology program at Ontario, Canada. He is in the second semester of a two-year program. He spent parts of last year at IUPUI studying marketing and supply side economics. Blake is a senior at Providence High School.

Blake, Christian Huber

Blake and Christian Huber

Christian has considered California’s UC Davis, the country’s most prominent winemaking program, but cannot enroll until he turns 21. Blake is narrowing his college choices and trying to decide between winemaking or chemistry.

The proud parents couldn’t be more certain that when retirement comes, and Ted assures anyone listening he’s not ever retiring, the boys will carry on the legacy.

“They both have natural ability,” Ted said. “We really officially can’t taste wine with them because they’re under 21. But both boys have an unique ability to be phenomenal blenders.”

Dana said her sons are passionate and have a strong desire to learn. “Neither is going to quit until the job is done,” she said. “They’re both competitive and that will serve them well. They’re community leaders and they’ve shown that on their high school sports teams.”

Ted is just 50 years old. His concern for the sons is turning over a business experiencing rapid growth. “Turning over a business experience small growth is fairly easy,” he said. “But 20 percent-plus is pretty substantial number to keep up. You’re growing a business and buildings have to be built, new vineyards are rotating in and out, and new vines have to be planted. Taking over and running a company while it’s growing is a much bigger concern than when I took over.”

The sons aren’t shy talking about the future and admit to more than a few late nights talking about putting their stamp on the family business.

“It will be about expanding our distilled products and our line of wines,” Blake said. “We want to have a viable whiskey on the market. We’ve talked of getting a new tasting room, creating a new atmosphere but keeping the (original) barn.

“My dad has the product quality at a high level and hopefully Christian and I can keep up the legacy dad and grandpa started.”

As the next generation prepares to take over, the Starlight Distillery business is booming. Huber purchased 100 acres of farmland near the winery to grow corn for the distillery. Efforts in the distillery have recently focused on whiskey. The distillery is bottling just a small portion of the finished product now while the remainder goes into barrels for aging.

The distillery has ramped up to 130 percent of capacity, Ted offered, with more construction planned for later this year. As a matter of fact, in 4-6 years the total distillery production should match the current wine output of 50,000 cases annually.

The seventh generation of Huber farmers is ready to continue a Southern Indiana tradition.