Howard’s Wine Cellar

If I could give 10 stars I would. This is not the place to browse the aisles and look for write ups on tags in order to decide what you want to buy.
Much more like a little shop in Italy, France or Spain, where you have to be willing to have a conversation with the proprietor. Kind of like going to the desk at the reference librarian at your college. Tell Howard what you are looking for, are cooking, or who is coming, how much you want to impress or spend, voila, get a knowledgeable hand selected recommendation that is sure to please. Kind of a wine concierge.
He is a complete anachronism in modern day retailing, who if you spend a few minutes, will impart more wine knowledge than you could imagine!

If you enjoy learning all there is to know about wine, this is the place to shop. My God, I don’t think I’ve ever met a proprietor who has close to this level of wine knowledge. And Howard is more than happy to share what he knows, and share all kinds of stories from his long career in the wine business. I know the shop seems chaotic, but that’s really part of the charm of this place. This is definitely a wine shopping experience like no other in Chicagoland.

You get exactly what the name of the store says — Wine and Howard. Some places might have bigger wine selections. But, really, what does it matter if you’re buying 2 or 3, or even 20 or 30 bottles? While the wine is great, Howard is the reason to go. He’s been in the wine business a long time. He knows every one of his wines. You can tell him what you’re looking for, what you like, what you want to spend, and he’ll help you find what you’re looking for. If you’re like me, someone who likes wine, has preferences for certain tastes and characteristics, but likes to try new things and doesn’t have the expertise to know the details of wines or vintages, Howard is terrific.
Howard will also be completely honest with you. If you go in asking for a good Bourgogne under $ 20 bottle, he’ll just tell you that you aren’t going to find it. He’ll offer you alternatives, give you the pluses and minuses. But he won’t just agree with you if you come in with a misconception. Personally, that’s what I want in a wine merchant. The customer isn’t always right — I want someone who can help me choose, and maybe I can learn something in the process. I suspect some of the poor ratings are from people who don’t really want a knowledgable person’s advice. For them, there’s always Binney’s. If you want good wine and knowledgable advice, Howard’s is your place!

I emphatically disagree with any of the harsh ratings, and you will too.
Howard’s is exactly what a wine shop should be and Howard is a gem. Ask questions and you shall receive… tasty wines at the price point you are looking for. His goal is to make wine approachable for the masses. No pretentious attitudes here.
Of the 6 customers who walked in during our visit and tasting, he knew 5 of the 6 on a first name basis & guided selections flawlessly. He clearly takes care of his customers.

Treat and speak to people the way you want to be treated.

I don’t care how knowledgeable he is with wine, He’s a very mean old angry man, ask any single one of his neighbors with a business or a resident.
If you want good wine and truly want to support a local business that supports the neighborhood then head over to Wine Styles a few blocks west, much better people.

Howard has the palate of Moses, with the personality of Sam Rothstein. His tastings are the best in the city, because he opens wines for true wine lovers, not the masses. If you go to Binny’s, you will taste wine for the masses. Howard opens wines that are respectable, ranging from $ 10 to $ 80 bottles. This makes me want to spend more when I go. I recommend this place to anyone who knows about wine.

Absolutely the best wine shop in Chicago. I have been buying wine from Howard for as long as I can remember. Never once have I bought something that I didn’t like and almost always it’s been love at first taste and usually something unlikely to be found at another wine shop. My passion is bubbly, Champagne when my budget allows, otherwise any yummy bubbly will do. Sometimes, the more expensive stuff is so for a reason but often Howard recommends something less expensive that he thinks is better. And every bottle Howard recommends in the best in its class. I love spending time in his shop… boxes stacked to the ceiling, bottles galore, pretty labels to puruse and always something new to try. Howard patiently explains the wine in laywoman terms without a hint of superiority. Howard is passionate about his profession and it shows. Marks S. commented that finding Howard’s Wine Cellar is like finding a special book store… he’s right on point. I love this place!

Have been getting my wine here for about 3 years or so. You walk into a shop that is the size of a studio apartment. boxes everywhere and aisles so narrow you worry about breaking a bottle but i have never ever gotten a bad bottle of wine from Howard’s. All I do is come in and say what I am eating and what I am looking for and boom. great bottle of wine or two for the night. would recommend to anyone looking to impress friends or just enjoy a great bottle on your own

Howard knows his store and wines like the back of his hand. Walk in, tell him what you’re looking for and the price range you would like to stay in, and let Howard take over from there. He has never, not once, given me a wine that I did not love. And it’s not always about the most expensive wines. Howard is all about quality and he will give you a wine he loves for $ 15 before trying to up-​sell you to a $ 50 wine. I’ve seen a few «mainstream» labels, but I love that he has a more original inventory with wines from all over the world. His store is a true gem and Howard is one in a million.
He usually has a few bottles open on Saturday afternoons for tasting.

Amazing place. #wineheaven, #deepwell, #undertheradar, #onemanshow. I could create a thousand hashtags for this place, ALL good. Howard would hate that concept as he is dead set against any technology or publicity. He has carved a niche as a destination and is above fancy marketing. A shame in some ways, but his knowledge and experience commands respect, and he has mine completely.
Pick up a case here. Tell him your style, and he’ll nail it, while interjecting a few totally unexpected words of wisdom that may sound crazy at the time, but resonate endlessly.

My favorite wine shop just about anywhere. You know that feeling of discovery and excitement you get at a really, really good used book store? This is the wine shop equivalent of that.
Lay of the land– Howard is up front and knows everything, and is happy to help in a non-​pushy way. The right half of the place is packed mostly with French and a little German wine. The left half is packed mostly with US wine.
As you might guess, Howard doesn’t sell junk. Come here for the good stuff. And that doesn’t mean expensive (although he’s got that too, for sure!). Best selection of Burgundy in the city… by far.
Saturday tastings are not to be missed either, some nice bottles get opened here.
Woohoo! Howard’s is as good as it gets!

We were sitting at a new restaurant looking at a giant BYOB sign… iPhone to the rescue… I opened maps and typed in liquor store… and within seconds there was a red dot sitting next to my blue dot on the map… I looked at my wife and leaped from the table like a Superhero who’s only strength was finding a bottle of alcohol… maybe we should call him Winoman!!!
I walked about 35 feet and thought this place must be closed down… there were so many boxes in the window. If I had driven by on the street, I might have missed it. And then there it was Howard’s Wine Cellar… I walked in and knew I was in for an adventure.
There were boxes and bottles of wine everywhere… please I repeat do not bring small children here because by the time you pay for every broken bottle you are going to need a second job.
Howard greeted me and said, «What can I get for you?» I asked him to steer me towards Chianti and Cabs… he pointed to both sections and I started my hunt. I looked at several bottles. I picked up a Cab and Howard said, «That one is amazing and you would not know it from looking at the price!» I looked at the price tag (love that this place has old fashion price tags) and it was $ 7.86. SOLD!!!
While at the counter Howard seemed like a great guy to get caught in a two hour conversation with. I told him how I found him but we had to cut our conversation short because being Winoman I had to safely return to the restaurant and save my wife with a nice glass of red. Howard put my bottle in a nice brown bag and I was off. As I arrived into the restaurant our pizza was also hitting the table. The waitress opened our bottle and poured two glasses.
Winoman saves the day once again!!! (thanks to Howards help) We will be back!!!

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no what I did I just do to myself. Why did I walk in here, why have I subjected myself to this, why did I dare to open pandora’s box? I’ve heard about here for a while from other wino friends of mine, and understood the danger walking in. It’s easy to miss, but I finally saw it when I went to the great american bagel right next door to it. I knew that my time was up and a trip was going to happen, I just needed to have a pay check in hand.
So, instead of waiting a day for my paycheck, I scurried in and was greeted by all sorts of champagne goodies as well as some barbaresco. I knew that my short stay in here would be dangerous to my wallet as there were tons of small producer champagnes and a great burgundy section right next to it.
It was hard to move around as the place was cramped, filled to the top with boxes of wine with the wines being in the racks where room allowed. I navigated my way carefully going through the various areas and being very glad that I was doing this before I got paid.
Even though the store isn’t big the wine selection is tremendous. It has its main focus being on riesling (austrian, german, and alsatian), champagne, and burgundy but it covers many other areas in the world very well considering how little space there is.

I’ve been going to Howards on a regular basis for close to 15 years.
Howard’s wine cellar is a small in size there is next to no room between the aisles but Howard has excellent wine knowledge and a great wine palate. He also has the customer’s well being foremost at heart and will recommend good wines for your palate and budget. When I ask for a wine recommendation at a particular price level, he often recommends one for a lower price.
If I want a wine that will be a perfect match with a particular meal, I ask Howard.
I’ve been in the store next to a suburbanite who is spending $ 1,800 and Howards spends as much time and gives me the same level of customer service as the guy spending a ton of money. That is really cool and I appreciate that.
Anytime you need an informed opinion, go to Howards.

I finally went to Howard’s Wine Cellar yesterday after walking past it almost every day on my way home and this place is great. You definitely need to talk to Howard about what you are looking for and the price range or you will be lost among all the bottles and boxes. We told him we wanted 2 bottles of Shiraz under $ 10 and he found us the perfect ones under a table somewhere. I will def be a repeat customer.

A great place to get wine. They know their stuff and won’t make you feel uncomfortable if you don’t want to drop a lot of money… they actually advertise the amount of affordable wine they have.
I have always liked the recommendations that I’ve gotten here. It’s a tiny/​cramped store, but they know their job. I have found a lot of my favorite AFFORDABLE wines here.

Howard’s is AWESOME!
A lot of people don’t know it, but Howard Slverman was THE guy in the wine department at Sam’s for 20 years. I don’t just mean that he was the most knowledgeable, I mean he was the director until he had a falling out with Fred Rosen’s sons in the mid-​90s. Get to know him and he’ll tell you some pretty funny tales about it. Anyway, he knows as much about wine as anyone on the planet. Period. This is not an exaggeration.
Sure, ths store is, ahem, cluttered, but it’s cluttered with tons of great wines! And, as others have mentioned here, Howard doesn’t treat a customer who knows zilch about wine any differently from someone with a 3,000 bottle cellar. He’ll be just as helpful if you tell him you have $ 12 to spend as $ 112. Plus, he’s affable and a talker and always has free Saturday tastings. And, I won’t even detract any stars for his being an Illini or White Sox fan.
Sure, Southport around the corner has a couple squeaky clean, boring wine shops. Believe me, Howard has forgotten more about wine than the people at these places will ever know, has such a better selection, it is laughable, AND he’s also got parking.

This place is tiny and at first glance, it would appear that Howard buys more wine than he sells due to the crates of wine stacked to the ceiling and cluttering the walkways. The good thing is that this means there is variety with little overhead. I’ve compared his prices to that of Binny’s and other places and he always seems to be in line with everyone else.
Howard has been doing the wine gig for over 30 years. He started with Sam Rosen and went on his own long before I started drinking wine. He knows probably everything anyone would need to know about wine and has far greater knowledge than the average worker walking the isle at Sam’s. I don’t really drink white wine so when it came time to buy my girlfriend’s mom a bottle of Chardonay last Christmas I just told him my price range and he hooked me up. To this day my girlfriends mom still asks if I remember what kind of wine I got her. If you are having a certain meal in mind and don’t know which wine would work well with it, just tell him what you are having and he will pick out whatever works.
All you have to do is either tell him what you like, or what type of wine you are looking for and the price range and he will set you right. Someone else mentioned the Summerland Pinot which is about as good of a value as you are ever going to find and it happens to be one of his top sellers.
I’m glad there is a place like this near by so I don’t have to venture down to Rangeroverville everytime I decide to buy a bottle of wine… which is often by the way.

Problem:
Finding a great, but inexpensive bottle of wine for a gift for an experienced wine drinker
Key Characters:
A frazzled sales professional with a strong communication/​business background (me) and a wine store owner (Howard)
Location:
Howard’s Wine Cellar, a small wine shop next to the Chase Bank branch on W. Belmont/​Racine-​ish
Dialogue:
Howard: «Can I help you?»
Me: «Uhhh… can you help, uh, me? I need to get a bottle of wine for a gift and I have no idea what to get.»
Howard: «What type of wine are you looking for?»
Me: «Red…white… under $ 25… I don’t really know… something good … for a date…»
Howard: «No problem. Take a look over here at this wine bottle…»
Essay:
While I know quite a bit about alcohol (making drinks, how good it tastes, how much I want some right now at my cubicle, etc.), I am a complete dummy when it comes to wine. Luckily, I am dating a wine-​o, so my knowledge is tested and grown daily. To find a cheap, but decent, bottle of wine for someone, I need to call in the experts. Thankfully, Howard came to the rescue when I stopped in and offered him little direction as to where to point me. Though there was an large selection of wines within the small shop, I was quickly routed to some bottles that met my short list of requirements. Within minutes, I had a $ 25 bottle of wine in my hand and confidence that I made a great decision.
Conclusion:
If you are a wine lover, a beginner, or a complete wine dummy, stop in Howard’s. It’s extremely likely he has the answers to your questions, and the bottle of wine that will suit your needs.
Bonus:
Rumor has it he offers wine tastings on Saturdays. I have yet to confirm this, but it is something worth looking into.