Tim Oas of Story Cellars
Photos Courtesy of Story Cellars
Tim Oas grew up in Wisconsin in an alcohol-free home, except for the beer cans under the sink. They were used for boiling brats, a Wisconsin tradition. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a major in upright bass performance and the goal of playing music and getting rich. Instead, he moved to Seattle where he was offered a job as musical director at a church. The church had an auction, and one of the auction items was a wine dinner with a sommelier who talked about food and wine pairing. Tim and his wife Dawn were invited to the wine dinner, and he has been hooked on wine ever since. They started going to Woodinville wineries and taking trips to the Yakima Valley. In 2012, Tim and his friend Mike Wisler who was studying winemaking started making wine for friends in Mike’s garage. The hobby led to a commercial license in 2014 for Story Cellars.
Today, Tim is the sole winemaker for Story Cellars which has a tasting room in Woodinville’s Warehouse District. Winemaking is something he does for fun, along with riding motorcycles and playing bass in the rock band The West Coast Feed. His “real” job is being a pastor for a Seattle church. I think Tim is unique in WA state as a pastor winemaker who rides motorcycles and plays in a rock band. Story Cellars is also unique for its focus on Zinfandel, a grape we seldom see in WA. But Tim also makes Bordeaux and Rhone style wines, so there is a wine for every palate at Story Cellars. This is a fun wine tasting destination for excellent wines, live music, creative wine labels, and endless stories, as you will see in this interview.
Listen to the Interview: