 Hogue by the numbers
Careful growth ensures quality
When
you get to be one of the largest wine makers in Washington state, the
question has to be asked – "How do you keep the quality high and the
prices reasonable?" We recently spent time with General Manager David
Forsyth of Hogue Cellars and the question can only be answered with a
little bit of ‘Hogue by the numbers.’
40 Growers – Hogue selects its grapes from 40 growers
around the state. To become such a provider, your grapes must be worthy
of consideration for at least a three-year term.
248 Blocks – From those 40 growers, Hogue accesses its grapes from
248 blocks (groups of rows on a single growing site). Certain sites have
blocks adjacent to each other growing the same type of grape, but the
flavor varies based on elevation. The best grapes are used for their
reserves, others for their Genesis label, house and table offerings. The
248 blocks produce a collective 9,200 tons of grapes.
30% from Brother Mike – Hogue Cellars was founded in 1982 by brothers
Gary and Mike Hogue. Mike planted his first vines in 1978 near Prosser.
Today he is Hogue’s primary provider of grapes to the winery which was
purchased by Vincor in 2001 (Vincor was purchased by Constellation in
2006). The original Hogue vines are now over 25 years old, some of the
oldest in the state.
 4 Levels – Hogue produces four levels of wine. Their least expensive
table wines run in the $10 per bottle range. The next level is their
Genesis label, a higher caliber of wine that averages about $16 a
bottle. From there you can step up to their reserve level which runs
between $24 and $30 depending on the grape variety used. Finally, they
have an in-house-only level – the Terroir, a French term that refers to
those natural characteristics of a vineyard site that make it unique;
mainly climate, topography and soil. These wines range in price from $14
to $40 a bottle and are only available through their tasting room and to
their wine club members. Terroir is where the winemakers play and
produce only 60 to 400 cases of each vintage.
Above: Hogue General Manager, David Forsyth,
lectures during a recent wine tasting in Washington State
3 Wine Makers – Winemaking decisions are handled by general manager
Forsyth and winemakers Co Dinn and Jordan Ferrier. Collectively the trio
has more than 40 years of winemaking experience at Hogue, with Forsyth
being the longest-running veteran having been there since 1983.
2 Viticulturists – Along with the winemakers, Hogue employs two
full-time viticulturists to keep tabs on the wine producers 248 blocks
on a bi-weekly basis. Everything is measured from rainfall, canopy,
average temperature, crop size and brix.
Hogue Cellars
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 31
Prosser, WA 99350
800-565-9779
509-786-4557, ext. 208, phone
509-786-4580, fax
Tasting Room
2800 Lee Road
Prosser WA, 99350
Directions to Tasting Room from the Seattle Area
1. Take I-90 East toward Spokane
2. Merge onto I-82 E via EXIT 110 toward Yakima
3. Take EXIT 82
4. Turn right onto Wine Country Rd.
5. Turn left onto Benitz Rd.
6. Turn right onto Lee |
Each viticulturist creates a
regular report on PDAs which is transferred to a central database for
review by viticulturists and winemakers.
70% Screw Tops – Corking issues plague every maker of wine who
bottles with natural cork. As Hogue grew, they investigated ways to
limit the situation. At first they switched to synthetic corks which
still let too much air into the bottle. Finally they arrived where they
are today—using screw tops on 70% of their production.
600,000 Cases – Hogue expects to roll out 600,000 cases in 2007. Stunning
considering the high standards of quality that are still intact in the
little winery that could.
Special to Seattle DINING! by Tom "Tastes like
chicken" Mehren/December 2006 |
