Business Spotlight: Story in a Bottle Wines

Owners Todd Glass and Stephanie Cohen Glass moved from the East Coast to Washington 16 years ago and fell in love with the PNW culture and stunning natural beauty. As a wine enthusiast Todd had always been fascinated by the combination of art and science involved in making wine. Before opening Story in a Bottle Wines, the couple established the wine import and distribution company Tour du Monde. As a starting place, the husband-and-wife team travelled extensively around Italy and France to find small vineyards with wines previously unknown to our market. 

“Today, many wineries are run by the newest generation, the daughters, sons, and even grandchildren, who are bringing modern methods to traditional ways of winemaking,” said Todd. “The results are amazing, but because of their small production runs their wines rarely are offered outside their own countries or regions. We take the time to find these wineries and get to know the families behind them.”  

Due to this approach, over half the wines in their store are exclusive to Story in a Bottle Wines. And since they also import the wines through their distribution company, they can offer the bottles at a much better value to customers.  

When Todd was looking for a location in Bellevue to open the store, he came across a business that was remodeling their space through a partnership with First Fed.  

“We had been frustrated working with Wells Fargo,” recalled Todd. “At First Fed, it’s been amazing to work with people who care and show an interest in our business. The personalized experience makes a huge difference, especially with more complex transactions, like international wire transfers.” 

“We’re so pleased to partner with Todd and Stephanie on their journey opening their new wine shop,” said Stephanie Nolan, Treasury Management Officer at First Fed. “We love to help our local small businesses thrive whether through a loan to finance growth or Treasury Management services like our Clover point-of-sale system.”  

“We love working with Stephanie Nolan, who is always responsive and helpful to our needs,” added Todd. “Our experience with First Fed business banking has been so good that we moved all of our personal banking accounts to them as well.” 

One of the more interesting wines you can find at Story in a Bottle is made from Ruché, a red Italian grape from the Piedmont region that was forgotten after World War II. The grape was saved from near extinction in the 1970s by a parish priest who discovered the grape still growing wild behind his monastery. After being forgotten for decades, the grape was recultivated and can now be enjoyed in the red wine Cossetti Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato from Story in a Bottle.  

“We love to share the stories behind our wines, ” added Todd. “Stop by in person and let us help you find the perfect bottle.” 

Todd recently returned from Vinitaly, one of the world’s largest wine festivals held in Verona, Italy, where he found several new wines that will arrive in the store later this summer. In the future, the couple plan to travel to South Africa, Argentina, Chilie and Spain to find new wines to import and sell at the store. While they focus on international wines, you can also find a few interesting bottles of PNW wines on their shelves.  

During the week, the store usually has a bottle open for customers to sample. On the Saturdays, the store hosts paid tastings and Meet the Winemaker events. 

For those outside the Bellevue area who want to try some of these unique vintages, you can order online at storyinabottlewines.com and have the wine shipped to you throughout Washington. Learn more about their products, upcoming wine tastings, and Meet the Winemaker events on Instagram or through their weekly newsletter.