The Washington State Grape Society presented three industry awards at the annual meeting in November in Grandview, Washington.
Art den Hoed, a 16-year member of the Grape Society who served three years as the group’s president, received the 2016 Walter Clore Award for his service to the industry.
At age 22, the Sunnyside High School graduate took over operations of his father’s Sunnyside, Washington, farm, then 340 acres.
Today, den Hoed lives in the house he grew up in, and the ranch is thousands of acres. A father of four, den Hoed runs the ranch with the help of two of his sons.
The Grape Society honored Mimi Nye, recently retired manager of Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyards, as the 2016 Grower of the Year.
Nye oversaw viticulture at Canoe Ridge, one of the wineries in the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio, from the vineyard’s inception in 1991 until her retirement last year.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Washington State University and an executive master’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington.
Carina Ocampo, a viticulture and enology student who works at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, received the $1,000 Grape Society scholarship.
Ocampo, a single mother, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology from Washington State University-Tri-Cities with a goal for a master’s degree in agriculture management in plant health.
Leave A Comment