Five Star Cellars

“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” — William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Along the WineTrails of Washington, you come across a number of retirees who traded in the tedium of retirement to create fine wines. Such is the story of David Huse. He didn’t have to launch Five Star Cellars, but his passion won out. In 2000, following his career as a farm equipment provider and a few stints assisting at other wineries, David started Five Star Cellars. He hasn’t looked back.

Of course, when you name a winery “Five Star,” you’d better deliver wines worthy of that premier rating. To achieve this level of quality, David needed a helping hand. He didn’t have far to look. In 2002, his son Matt signed on to assist with winemaking, and Matt’s timing couldn’t have been better: Production had doubled to more than 1,000 cases per year. He enrolled in the enology and viticulture program at Walla Walla Community College and was a member of the program’s first graduating class. Today, Matt is Five Star’s chief winemaker, and current production is around 5,000 cases. This has freed David to assume the duties of operations manager, marketing director, and chief bottle-washer.

Located at the Walla Walla Airport Complex, across from Eleganté Cellars, Five Star Cellars offers an inviting space to sample its ultrapremium wines: merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon as well as some serious red blends. Be sure to check out their “Quinque Astrum” (Latin for “five star”) a super Tuscan blend with a sangiovese backbone. Matt and David have made significant improvements to the leased space. It’s on “their nickel” so to speak — they didn’t have to do it — but they chose to make the changes to improve the public’s tasting experience. These improvements reflect their commitment to excellence. As part of this renovation, they’ve added a wood stove. Imagine visiting on a cold winter day with the stove blazing, keeping you toasty warm.

By christening their winery “Five Star,” the Huses have set the bar high, but Five Star has proven worthy of its name.

• 

  Order the book!

  Five Star Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla Airport WineTrail on page 480!

• 

  Order the book!

  Five Star Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla Airport WineTrail on page 480!