Hogue Cellars Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary This Year.

Milestone is Testament to Hogue Cellars' Commitment to Quality Winemaking and Leadership in Washington's Wine Industry

PROSSER, Wash. -- The Hogue Cellars (www.hoguecellars.com), one of Washington's most popular and critically acclaimed wineries, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. Founded by Mike and Gary Hogue in 1982, The Hogue Cellars is in the heart of Washington State's wine country located in Yakima Valley - one of the state's premier grape-growing appellations. Centrally located in Prosser, Wash., the winery is a state-of-the-art facility that sources the highest quality fruit from Columbia Valley's best appellations including Yakima Valley, Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope and Red Mountain.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Hogue Cellars will kick off this year's festivities by participating in the upcoming Wine Yakima Valley 2007 Spring Barrel Tasting weekend, April 27 - 29. Additionally, Gary Hogue will be visiting various cities across the country and sampling upcoming releases as well as hosting a celebratory event at the winery later this year. Anniversary celebration details can be found on the Hogue website (www.hoguecellars.com) in the coming weeks and months.

"We are very proud to be part of the Washington Wine Industry's tremendous success. When we started our winery, we were the 19th bonded winery in Washington and today there are over 450 wineries, which is incredible," said Gary Hogue. "I remember when we started; our goal was to sell 20,000 cases of wine by our 10th year in business. Well, we grew way beyond expectations, which is testament to the high quality wines from one of the world's premier wine growing regions - the Columbia Valley."

History

The Hogue's first planted wine grapes in 1974. After several years of growing Riesling fruit for other wineries, Gary and Mike decided to open The Hogue Cellars in 1982, leading to their first vintage of 2,000 cases of Chenin Blanc and Riesling. Today, Hogue Cellars produces more than 500,000 cases of award-wining wines, featuring a range of 11 varietals between its three lines - Hogue, Genesis by Hogue Cellars and Hogue Reserve.

Farming has been a way of life for the Hogue family for more than 60 years. They have grown grapes, apples, hops, mint and other crops in eastern Washington's Columbia Valley. The family continues to produce specialty apples and hops, in addition to Concord and vinifera wine grapes.

Winemaking & Innovation

From the beginning, Hogue Cellars has led the Washington State wine industry with the best winemaking and viticultural talent and has fostered longstanding partnerships with some of the best growers in Washington's leading appellations. Hogue Cellars prides itself on consistent innovation and smart use of technology to track vineyard conditions and make winemaking decisions year-to-year so that it can maintain consistently high quality wines. Additionally, Hogue Cellars is committed to ongoing research and development to aid in making decisions regarding winemaking, production and quality.

In 2003, Hogue Cellars released the results of a three-year, in-house screw cap study that examined the effect of five different closures on its wines, and found that screw cap closures hold fruit and maintain freshness more effectively than natural or synthetic corks. Hogue Cellars was the first large, premium winery to scientifically analyze the effects of various bottle closures and then share its results with the industry. As a result, the winery moved its Hogue products, which represent 70 percent of production, to a screw cap closure. The winery continues to research the process of aging red wines, and how screw cap closures affect that process.

The Region

Washington State is ranked among the world's top growing regions, and is the second-largest premium wine producer in the United States. The climate, northern latitude and soil combine to provide a world-class growing area for vines that produce grapes of consistent quality, resulting in strong vintages year after year. The State's wines are rich, flavorful and well balanced.

"Washington State is one of the greatest wine growing regions in the world," said Co Dinn, director of winemaking. "This region allows us at Hogue Cellars to create wines that are balanced and not overly alcoholic, with a real brightness and very well-defined fruit character which are pleasurable to drink. This is a unique quality which consumers are really embracing."

The Wines

Hogue:

The Hogue Cellars is well known for producing reliable value wines that showcase the fresh, high quality fruit from Washington's Columbia Valley. Hogue wines consistently emphasize well-balanced, vivid fruit flavors that are meant to be enjoyed one to three years after bottling. The suggested retail price is $8.99.

Genesis by Hogue Cellars:

Genesis is the original vineyard planted by Mike Hogue in 1974, and the Genesis wines are meant to celebrate Hogue Cellars' history in Washington State. Genesis by Hogue Cellars wines represents the finest crafted expression of Columbia Valley fruit. The winemaking team searches out those vineyards and microclimates that have the best potential to produce varietal wines in a definitive Washington style. The suggested retail price is $15.99.

Hogue Reserve:

Hogue Reserve wines showcase the highest quality fruit from first-rate vineyards in Washington's Columbia Valley. Extended aging, primarily in new French oak barrels, adds layers of complexity and intensity that further differentiate the Reserve wines. These small production wines include a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The suggested retail price ranges from $22 - $30.

Hogue Cellars is distributed by Pacific Wine Partners, a Constellation Wines U.S. company and a leading producer of premium California wines and importer of wines from Australia and New Zealand. Constellation Wines U.S. is part of Constellation Wines, the world's largest wine business, which is an operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B). Constellation Wines U.S. encompasses four U.S. wine businesses: Icon Estates, Centerra Wine Company, Pacific Wine Partners, and North Lake Wines. Pacific Wine Partners produces several top California brands including Blackstone, Rex Goliath, Night Harvest by R.H. Phillips, Black Box, Twin Fin, Hayman and Hill, and Hogue from Washington State, and is the U.S. importer for Banrock Station, Hardys, Leasingham, Barossa Valley Estate, and Chateau Reynella from Australia, Nobilo from New Zealand, Kumala from South Africa, Duo from Chile, and Red Guitar from Spain.

Editors Note: Should you wish to interview Gary Hogue or Co Dinn, request samples and/or high res photography, please contact Jennifer Marples, 415.861.3906, [e-mail].

Hogue Milestones:

1941  Wayne and Shyla Hogue marry and settle in eastern Washington.
1942  The Hogue's first son, Gary, is born; brother Mike is born in
      1944.
1944  Wayne begins hop farming and is hired to oversee two large hop
      farms in the Yakima Valley, known as "hop heaven."
1948  Wayne and Shyla scrape together enough money and exercise an
      option to buy 80 acres of hops after Wayne's employer dies. Over
      the years, the Hogues expand their acreage and plant other
      crops.
1964  Gary pursues a career in construction materials in the Seattle
      area; Mike officially joins his father on the farm, eventually
      managing the ranch and what will grow to be 1,700 acres of hops,
      apples, Concord grapes, asparagus, mint and other crops.
1974  Mike plants his first wine grapes--six acres of Riesling--in the
      Yakima Valley, certain that the hard work will pay off in wine
      quality equal to California and Europe. The grapes are sold to
      other wineries.
1981  Mike and friend Andy Markin decide to try home winemaking. Andy
      and Mike make the first batch of Riesling in Mike's daughters'
      playhouse. The wine is pretty darn good.
1982  Hogue Cellars is started. Mike tells Gary that "they" are
      starting a winery, and that Gary's sales expertise is needed.
      Gary joins Mike at the Prosser Wine & Food Fair, and with Shyla
      using a shoebox as a cash register, the family sells $800 worth
      of wine.
1983  -- A vacant building in Prosser is converted into The Hogue
      Cellars winery and tasting room.
      -- The family enters wines in the 1983 Tri-Cities Wine
      Competition and wins the Winemaker's Award for its Chenin Blanc
      and the Consumer's Award for its Riesling. A few weeks later,
      the Seattle Enological Society gives Hogue two more gold medals.
1984  -- Hogue's 1983 Fume Blanc places second in a blind tasting of
      52 wines at a Kapalua, Hawaii wine symposium.
      -- Sales climb from 2,000 cases in 1982 to 5,000 in 1983 to
      10,000 in 1984.
      -- David Forsyth, an Ellensburg, Washington native and UC Davis
      graduate, leaves Napa's Vose Winery and joins Hogue winemaker
      Rob Griffin's staff.
1985  Hogue's 1983 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wins Best of Show at the
      Atlanta Wine Festival - 1700 wines were submitted for judging.
1988  David Forsyth is promoted to chief winemaker; later he becomes
      Director of Winemaking.
1991  Widely respected viticulturist Wade Wolfe joins Hogue Cellars.
1994  Wine & Spirits magazine selects Hogue as one of its Wineries of
      the Year.
1996  -- A $1 million expansion is completed at the winery, boosting
      Hogue's production capacity to 405,000 cases.
      -- Dan Berger of the Los Angeles Times selects Forsyth as
      Winemaker of the Year.
1997  -- Hogue redesigns its wine package and introduces the Hogue
      Genesis brand to showcase new grape varieties, distinctive
      vineyard sites, and innovative winemaking techniques.
1998  Wine & Spirits magazine again selects Hogue as one of its
      Wineries of the Year.
1999  Mike and Gary Hogue are chosen as the first Vintner Chairpersons
      for the Auction of Northwest Wines.
2001  Hogue Cellars is purchased by Vincor, Intl. in Toronto, Canada.
      Sales and marketing efforts are combined with Vincor's second
      U.S. winery, R.H. Phillips.
2003  -- Food & Wine names the 1999 Genesis Merlot Best American
      Merlot Under $20.
      -- Hogue Cellars honors its long-time employees who have served
      the winery for a combined 147 years and have expanded the
      winery's leadership in the international wine industry.
      -- Wine & Spirits names Hogue one of its "Value Brands of the
      Year" for the Hogue 2004 Merlot.
2006  Constellation Brands, Inc. purchases Vincor International in
      June.
2007  Co Dinn is promoted to director of winemaking.