category 5 cellars

What category 5 cellars does

Category 5 Cellars is a small, founder-owned Washington State winery established in 2017 in Woodinville, operating with two people — founder/winemaker Jason Smith and assistant winemaker Stan Tomson. The winery produces approximately 11 wine SKUs in small lots (75-400 cases per wine) sourced from five partner vineyards across multiple Washington AVAs, with a production philosophy centered on blending fruit from warm and cool climate sites to engineer balanced acidity, alcohol, and palate weight. The portfolio spans varietals such as Albariño, Dry Riesling, Blanc Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot (from two vineyards), Syrah, and Counoise, alongside proprietary blends including the Firewall Red (Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec) and The Hacker Rosé (Albariño and Petit Verdot), with bottles priced between $20 and $52.

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer model with no wholesale or distribution partners disclosed. Sales occur through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront and an in-person tasting room at 19501 144th Ave NE, Woodinville, supported by a Caspio online reservation system and Shop Pay plus major card network checkout. Distribution is limited to Washington State, and the tasting room operates roughly 22 hours per week across Friday through Sunday. Customer acquisition relies on organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram), an email newsletter, the company's own website, and experiential programming including the Story Teller Music Series and virtual events via ZOOM.

The company is privately held with no institutional funding, parent entity, or acquisitions disclosed. Third-party recognition is limited to a 2021 90-point Washington Tasting Room Magazine review for the Firewall Red blend. Operations remain tightly concentrated on a single location and a two-person production team, with no documented expansion, hiring, or wholesale growth signals beyond continued vintage releases since 2017.

Name

category 5 cellars

Legal name

Category 5 Cellars

Website

https://cat5cellars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Category 5 Cellars is a two-person Woodinville, Washington winery that produces small-lot blended and varietal wines from partner vineyards using a warm/cool climate blending technique and sells them direct-to-consumer via a tasting room and Shopify online store to individual wine enthusiasts and tech-themed wine buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Wineries (31213)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Washington State wines
• Small-lot winery
• Climate-blended wines
• Direct-to-consumer wine
• Single-vineyard wines

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodinville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Category 5 Cellars generates revenue through direct-to-consumer wine sales via their e-commerce online store and at the tasting room. Customers can purchase bottles online or during in-person tastings.
2. Tasting Room Experiences: Revenue generated from wine tasting experiences at their Woodinville location. They offer indoor and outdoor tastings with reservation options and walk-up availability during operating hours (Friday 3-6pm, Saturday 12-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Category 5 Cellars is a small-lot Washington State winery that produces blended and varietal wines (red, white, and rosé) by sourcing fruit from premium partner vineyards across warm and cool growing climates in the state. The winery sells bottles direct-to-consumer through its own e-commerce storefront and an on-premise tasting room in Woodinville, Washington, supported by an online reservation system. Production runs range from approximately 75 to 400 cases per wine, with bottles priced between $20 and $52.

Product overview

Category 5 Cellars is a small-lot Washington State winery founded in 2017, producing approximately 11 distinct wine SKUs across red and white varieties. The product portfolio centers on terroir-driven single-vineyard wines from prestigious Washington AVAs (Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Ancient Lakes, White Bluffs) alongside proprietary blends. Core offerings include the Firewall Red blend (Cab Sauv & Malbec), The Hacker Rosé (Albariño & Petit Verdot blend), The Phisher white wine, and varietal wines such as Petit Verdot from multiple vineyards (Dineen, Dionysus), Syrah from DuBrul Vineyard, Counoise from Lonesome Springs Ranch, Malbec, Albariño, Dry Riesling, and Blanc Franc. The winery emphasizes blending warm and cool climate fruit to create complexity, with a focus on sourcing from partnered rockstar vineyards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dineen VineyardcoreOthersKey vineyard partner providing Petit Verdot fruit for Category 5 Cellars wines. Located in Rattlesnake Hills AVA. Represents one of the warm growing sites used in the winery's climate-blending approach.
• Dionysus VineyardcoreOthersVineyard partner supplying Petit Verdot fruit. Located in White Bluffs AVA. Part of the warm climate grape sourcing for the winery's blending strategy.
• DuBrul VineyardcoreOthersPremium vineyard partner supplying Syrah for Category 5 Cellars. Represents the warm climate component in their blending methodology.
• Lonesome Springs RanchcoreOthersVineyard partner providing Counoise fruit from Yakima Valley AVA. Represents the cool climate growing site in their wine blending approach.
• Ancient LakesminorOthersSource of Albariño fruit from Ancient Lakes AVA, used in The Hacker Rosé blend and other white wines.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• W.T. Vintners: Small-production Walla Walla Valley winery focused on Rhône varietals and terroir-driven bottlings. Comparable on low case-count releases, single-vineyard sourcing, and DTC emphasis.
• Brian Carter Cellars: Woodinville-based Washington winery producing Bordeaux and Rhône-style blends from premium AVAs. Comparable on blending methodology and Washington DTC tasting-room operation.
• Patterson Cellars: Woodinville, WA-based small-lot winery where founder Jason Smith interned for two years before starting Category 5. Directly comparable on scale, DTC tasting-room model, and Washington AVA sourcing strategy.
• Kevin White Winery: Woodinville, WA boutique winery where Assistant Winemaker Stan Tomson completed his internship. Closely comparable in scale, location, and direct-to-consumer tasting-room operation.
• DeLille Cellars: Established Woodinville-based Washington winery specializing in Bordeaux-style blends and single-vineyard wines. Comparable on Washington AVA sourcing and premium DTC positioning, though at a substantially larger scale.
• Januik Winery: Woodinville, WA winery focused on single-vineyard Columbia Valley red wines. Comparable on Washington terroir-driven portfolio and DTC tasting-room model, with larger production scale.
• Cayuse Vineyards: Boutique Walla Walla Valley winery famous for biodynamic, single-vineyard, very small-lot wines. Highly comparable on premium per-bottle pricing, scarcity, and DTC allocation-driven demand.
• Gramercy Cellars: Walla Walla-based small-lot Washington winery focused on Rhône- and Bordeaux-style wines from prestigious vineyards. Comparable on small production, vineyard partnerships, and DTC premium positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Chateau Ste. Michelle: The largest and most iconic Washington wine producer with broad national distribution, a wine club, and a Woodinville tasting-room estate. Comparable on Washington AVA sourcing and DTC, but at vastly greater scale and distribution reach.
• Charles Smith Wines (K Vintners): Walla Walla-based Washington wine brand group with a large, branded, design-forward portfolio and national distribution. Provides a relevant scale-and-branding benchmark for any Washington producer aspiring to break out of the small-lot niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cat5cellars
• Facebookfacebook.com/cat5cellars
• Instagraminstagram.com/category5cellars
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cat5cellars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/category-5-cellars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about category 5 cellars