Sprinkle Some Charm Into Your Next Bottle of Wine With Story in a Bottle

Story in a Bottle:
Sprinkle Some Charm Into Your Next Bottle of Wine

Usually, when Todd and Stephanie Glass came to Downtown Bellevue, it was to take their son to buy baseball cards at the locally loved Collector’s Corner. Little did they know that Downtown Bellevue’s vitality would inspire them to start their own business just minutes away on Main Street - and there started the journey of Story in a Bottle Wines.

The new boutique wine store carefully curates their shop to sell bottles from family-owned wineries. About half the store is wines from Italy and France from small production runs that have rarely, if ever, been offered outside their own country. Now, they are imported directly to Washington by Todd and Stephanie.

“I was worried that people were so used to getting their wines from big box stores or grocery stores they would think there’s not a lot of selection here," Todd Glass said. "But that hasn’t been an issue. Right from the start, people understood and appreciated what we are trying to do - and they found it refreshing.”

The couple gets to know the winemakers and their families so they can pass along their history and stories along with their wines.

“I go to their homes, I go to their vineyards, and I taste their wines. As a result, what we offer are wines that are hand selected and exclusive to our store,” Glass said.

Todd’s most recent adventure was a trip to Italy, where he attended Vinitaly, an international wine exposition. There he checked in with their current producers and met many new families whose stories the couple will be able to share this fall, when their next container of wine arrives.

One benefit of their effort is evident: their unique wines are affordable.

“Every time an importer or distributor touches a bottle of wine, there’s a mark-up on it,” Glass said. “We import most of the wines ourselves, so no other importers or other distributors are involved. As a result, we’re able to offer exclusive wines at a great value for our customers.“

The wine industry is changing - even expert sommeliers and winemakers in the industry, like those that Todd and Stephanie work with, admit it. Producers are seeing the new generation choose cheaper cocktails over hand-crafted wines. So, to many wine enthusiasts, Story in a Bottle Wines is a breath of fresh air - a love for the craft, science, history, and beauty of wine.

To familiarize people with their wines, the store offers free samples of one of their wines during the week and on Saturdays hosts tastings of five or six wines, built around a theme, for a small fee. Recent tastings included a flight of their Barolo wines while another featured their favorite white wines from different countries.

Thus far, the Glass family has focused on importing Italian and French wines. Story in a Bottle Wines offer a collection of unique Washington, Oregon, and California wine. They also carry wines from around the world that are selected with the same principles of family-owned producers with interesting stories or varietals. Over time, the couple plans to travel to other countries, including Spain, South Africa, Australia, and Argentina to expand their imports.

To some, such a long, thoughtful process for a bottle of wine may seem tedious, but to Todd and Stephanie, it is worth the effort.

“Knowing the story of a wine doesn’t make it better, but it does make drinking it more enjoyable. Whether you know a lot about wine or are looking to learn more, our goal is to bring the wine and the story of the winemaker together to help you enjoy every glass,” said Stephanie Cohen Glass.