Service is what we are all about at Zephyr Wine Bar
We pride ourselves on having a knowledgeable and approachable wine team who love making your time at Zephyr fun, relaxing and enjoyable. All of our employees are here because they love wine and they love people. There is no snobbery at Zephyr Wine Bar. If you want to learn more about our selection of wine, or pick the perfect bottle for a special occasion, we’ve got you covered! If you just want something new and delicious to sip while you catch up with a friend, our wine team will make sure that happens.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Jennifer Walker
Co-Owner
Jenn is a Certified Specialist of Wine and co-founder of Zephyr Wine Bar. She has been formally studying wine at SF Wine School since 2009, and has been working closely with its founder, David Glancy on Zephyr’s opening wine program, including exclusive wine tastings and Wine Education events. In addition to her wine experience, Jenn enjoyed a 20-year-long career in marketing and event planning in the financial services and tech sectors in Silicon Valley.
In her personal life, Jennifer spends most of her free time with her supportive husband and co-founder, Andre, and their two children. She was fortunate to grow up in a large family, and is able to share her passion for food and beverage with all her siblings, but especially her brother, Todd, who is a trained chef, and brother, Kyle, who is a Certified Sommelier. Todd is also our head of food and wine pairings, and Kyle runs our wine club.
Andre Walker
Co-Owner
Andre grew up in Reno and graduated from Reno High School before moving to northern California to attend college. He has worked in the financial services and technology sectors throughout his career. Andre currently works with a Silicon Valley-based technology company while enjoying the treasures of Reno and the surrounding areas after returning to northern Nevada with Jennifer and their children in 2016.
His interest in wine is admittedly more casual than Jennifer’s, but rings true with the Zephyr Wine Bar ethos of wine is for everyone. He believes you don’t have to know everything to know what you like and enjoys how the wide world of wine allows each person to choose the depth of their own adventure.
Sam Carli
Co-Owner
Through countless tastings, visits to vineyards, and encounters with the people who pour their hearts into each bottle, he has come to realize that wine is more than a beverage – it’s a voyage in a glass, a connection to history, and a celebration of life’s moments – and he hopes to share these moments with every visitor to Zephyr Wine Bar.
Sam’s sister, Sara Carli, is a WSET 3 with distinction, having earned this credential from a school for winemaking and viticulture. She is the Manager of Customer Experiences for a significant Sonoma County winery with access to many Sonoma and Napa wine cellars. She will frequently make in-person appearances to teach at our Wine Education events.
Kyle Jackson
Certified Sommelier
Kyle is a lifelong wine enthusiast. But oddly enough, his journey to wine started with beer.
“They say it takes a whole lot of cheap beer to make a little bit of good wine.”
Kyle’s passion for libations started with small batch production craft beer. At the time, wine was not on his radar, but soon Kyle developed an interest in the fermented grape that has turned into an obsession, that has turned into a 20-year love affair. Kyle has been studying wine for more than two decades and his passion is infectious. As a Certified Sommelier, Kyle has spent countless hours studying maps, reading about winemakers, conceptualizing soil types, and studying farming. He says the absolute best fact about studying wine is that your homework is drinking it!
Kyle says he chose to become a Sommelier because of the complexity of wine. He is endlessly entertained that wine can be one thing and a hundred things all at once. He also appreciates the history, tradition and culture that comes with wine and says he will never stop learning because it is always evolving.
Zephyr: The God of the West Wind
How We Chose Our Name
f you have lived in northern Nevada for any length of time, you are familiar with our zephyr winds. While this nod to the area played a role in the name of our wine bar, that is not the whole story…
Zephyrus is the Greek god of the westerly winds, and it is believed these winds brought prosperity to Greece by influencing harvest and trade.
In Greece, their vineyards are trained to grow very short to survive the zephyr winds. Too tall and the vines would break or be blown over. It is said that Zephyrus brings the spring winds, which starts the growing season. Therefore the winds bring what is needed for a successful wine grape harvest in the fall.
Zephyrus’ winds also blew ships towards the coast of Greece, encouraging trade in ancient days. This trade allowed for a more prosperous economy and diversified goods to be brought to this coastline-rich part of the world.
We like to think of ourselves like Zephyrus (or Zephyr): We are not stuffy or fixed, rather we are airy and flexible; we have a deep respect for agriculture and the growers who put their heart and soul into a bottle for us to share and enjoy; and we love welcoming people of all walks of life to our Wine Bar. We hope you enjoy Zephyr as much as we enjoy having you here.
