Hogue by the numbers

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.

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

* Forsyth moved to Mercer Estates in 2007, then to Zirkle Wine Company in 2012.

---

We've worked hard to upgrade this site. Click here to notify us of any problems we need to correct.

---

---

SUBSCRIBE FREE

Subscription has its privileges - Each month Seattle DINING! publishes new features on new restaurants, food and beverage news from around the Northwest and special events. Don't miss out on these informative stories.

Sign up today for your FREE subscription and you'll get a notification each month when the new issue comes on line. You'll also be the first to find out about special Seattle DINING! events.  What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

 Click here to sign up now!