Mike Hogue will be honored for his contributions to the Washington wine industry. Courtesy of the Clore Center

Mike Hogue will be honored for his contributions to the Washington wine industry.
Courtesy of the Clore Center

Mike Hogue, owner of Hogue Ranches and founder of Hogue Cellars in Prosser, Washington, will be inducted into the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame this year in recognition of his significant contributions to the community and wine industry.

He will be honored at the annual induction gala, which will be held August 9 at the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington.

Hogue joined the farming business of his parents, Wayne and Shyla Hogue, in 1964 and planted six acres of Riesling grapes in the Yakima Valley ten years later. Today, Hogue Ranches farms 1,200 acres of wine grapes in the Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills.

In 1982, Hogue and his wife Dora opened Hogue Cellars. Hogue’s first commercial bottling consisted of 2,000 cases of Riesling and Chenin Blanc wine. In 1985, his 1983 Fumé Blanc placed second in a blind tasting of 52 similar wines, mostly from California. By 2001, Hogue and his partner Norm McKibben had expanded Hogue Cellars to become the largest family-owned winery in the state.

Hogue is a past chair of the Washington Wine Commission, on which he served for ten years. He has served as a director of the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District since 2001 and has been a board member of the Clore Center since 2005.

Hall of Fame members include Bill Preston, John and Ann Williams, Jim and Pat Holmes, Stan Clarke, John Anderson, Bill Powers, David Lake, Myles Anderson, and George Carter.

Tickets for the Legends gala can be reserved on the Clore Center Web site or by calling (509) 786-1000.