Author: Sabrina D’Alba

Zach Pace and the Future of Fine Wine in St. Pete

When Zach Pace moved to St. Petersburg in 2023, he brought with him extensive experience in fine dining, wine education, and Michelin-star hospitality.

After studying economics at Tulane, Pace left the desk job path behind for a career in wine. He earned his WSET Level 4 Diploma and became one of the first certified WSET educators in the U.S. Over the years, he added credentials as a Certified Wine Educator, French Wine Scholar, and International Sommelier Guild Level 3 graduate. He spent more than a decade teaching at the San Francisco Wine School and leading operations at top Bay Area restaurants, including Lazy Bear, the two-Michelin-starred San Francisco destination recently ranked among North America’s best.

That background shaped his philosophy: sourcing rare bottles, leaning into back vintages, and treating every pairing as a story worth telling. “Make it a story,” he said. “Even if the guest doesn’t remember every single detail, they walk away thinking it was not just great food and ambiance, but that they’re richer for the experience.”

A Personal Cellar

Over the summer, he and Tomushev hiked the Dolomites, drinking Kerner and Müller-Thurgau in Alto Adige. Back home, their attention turned to lesser-known Piemontese whites such as Timorasso, Nascetta, and Erbaluce, a theme that wasn’t intentional but, as he put it, “kind of been awesome.” In his cellar, a 1998 Château Musar from Lebanon stands apart, a bottle tied to memories of meeting the late winemaker years ago in San Francisco. “The wine ages so splendidly,” he said. “I opened a bottle a few months ago with friends, and it’s still hanging on, with another decade left in it.”

For Pace, wine is about more than taste. It is about history, patience, and transformation. That philosophy carries from noctivore’s communal table to the shelves and seats of Volta, the hybrid wine market and bar he’s building downtown. In a city where true grocery and fine wine retail don’t yet exist, Volta represents the kind of change its name promises, and the kind of future he has come here to build.

Jayme Kosar has been named Best Sommelier in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2025 awards, adding another accolade to her long career in wine and hospitality.

This year’s finalists also included Adam Paul of The Black Pearl and Chris Ciarcia of Sauvignon Wine Locker, both respected figures in Tampa Bay’s wine community. Read more about this year’s Best Sommelier nominees in our nominee spotlight.

Kosar opened the original Ybor City Wine Bar in 2012 with a vision Tampa hadn’t yet seen: 200 wines by the glass. “Back then, there really wasn’t much of a wine scene here,” she recalls. “I wanted to expand the culture of wine in Tampa Bay.” That vision has since grown into Society Wine Bar, a franchise with locations in Ybor, Apollo Beach, and Naples, with plans to continue expanding across Florida.

A Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Kosar also holds more than a dozen wine certifications and teaches advanced programs for the United States Sommelier Association. Harvest visits and vineyard tours are a key part of her curriculum. “When you know exactly how the wine gets in the glass, that’s a real somm to me,” she says.

This is not her first Best of the Bay recognition. Kosar has previously won in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024. The 2020 award was especially meaningful, earned during the height of COVID closures: “That was a big win because it was such a difficult time. Restaurants were closed, the industry was struggling. I dedicated that award to everyone—front of house, back of house, the whole hospitality community.”

She also notes that Best of the Bay often puts her alongside sommeliers she has taught or mentored: “Sometimes I’m up against sommeliers I’ve trained, sommeliers who have worked for me—and that’s been a great nod to them.”

For Kosar, wine is about passion and connection: “I can suggest and be the best somm in the world; but if you don’t like the wine, it matters not. It’s your palate, your party.”

As Society Wine Bar continues to grow, Kosar remains committed to her original vision of expanding the culture of wine through education and accessibility.

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Links: ownawinebar.com

Two women, six sommeliers, and a vision to make wine approachable in St. Pete’s Grand Central District.

Inspiration & Beginnings

Savoir on Central began as a dream between two women who met through Leadership St. Pete in 2019. Sharon Mahoney was deep into her WSET Diploma studies, while Christina Noordstar was fresh from two decades in restaurant franchising and brand development.

“I was inspired by Sharon—we’d been talking for years about a concept like this because she’s so well studied,” Christina said. “To build a place together—it was dreamy. And now we’re sitting in the dream.”

For Sharon, the vision had been forming for years. She knew she wanted to make wine approachable, but the right space never came along—until Christina called her to see the Central Avenue location. “We walked in—with the high ceilings and everything else—and I was like, I see chandeliers… I see marble… I see black and white.”

From Concept to Community

The old space was hardly glamorous. Formerly a cannabis beverage shop, it was painted floor-to-ceiling turquoise, complete with rainbows and raffia bamboo.

But Sharon and Christina saw past it. “We saw the classroom that could be created with this long, lean bar… and the intimacy possible with the spacing,” Christina explained.

That mix of vision and persistence became the foundation for Savoir: a place designed not only for drinking wine, but for conversation and education.

A Team of Sommeliers

Unlike most wine bars, Savoir was built around a full sommelier team—six in total, each bringing their own specialty. Sharon had known most of them for years through studies, events, or shared friends.

“You build your network, and you keep it close,” Sharon said. “Renee and Rochelle were part of the original conversations. Rochelle is the OG of wine in St. Pete—she had the first wine bar, A Taste for Wine. And Robert came through a distributor—he walked in and I was like, yeah, you’re hired.”

Christina added: “Sharon exudes care—and everyone feels it. Everyone is happy to work with her. It’s hard to leave here… it doesn’t feel like work.”

The lineup now includes Italian specialists, natural wine voices, and Maggie, who brought her following from ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. And then there’s Rico, an award-winning cheesemaker from New York, who now builds food pairings for the classes.

“He’s so passionate,” Sharon laughed. “He even wanted to flambé dessert and I had to say, nope, no flambéing in this building.”

The Wine Club

At the heart of Savoir is its monthly wine club, designed to make exploration approachable and engaging. Memberships are available in five tiers, ranging from one to three bottles, with pickup parties held the second Tuesday of every month.

“Wine club pickup is always a celebration,” Christina said. “Every month feels like its own little release party.”

Members enjoy discounts on bottles, classes, and food, plus early access to special events that often sell out quickly. The wines themselves are handpicked by the sommelier team around a monthly theme.

“This month we featured Aligoté from Burgundy—the ‘other’ white grape,” Sharon said. “We love introducing wines that sommeliers are excited about but many people may not know yet.”

Unlike many clubs that ship the same bottles to everyone, Savoir’s is flexible. Sommeliers work with members to tailor selections—whether that means only reds, only whites, or even sweet wines.

Wine Education, Elevated

Wine education is the driving force behind Savoir. Sharon’s teaching style is rooted in storytelling and accessibility.

“Everybody learns differently,” she said. “It needs to be fun. I once even fell asleep in a class with a Master Somm—not because I was tired, but because it was so dry. I want people to discover wine for themselves.”

Christina added: “We wanted to build a space that’s elevated but approachable—whether you’re a beginner or a super connoisseur. We’re built for the entire spectrum.”

Sharon’s global perspective filters into every class. “French was my first language—I’ve picked grapes in Bordeaux, stepped in puddles, been bitten by bugs. Every vineyard has a story… and great wine starts in the vineyard.”

Why Central Avenue

The choice of location was no accident. Christina and her husband have owned the building for over 15 years, watching Grand Central evolve into one of the city’s most dynamic districts.

“The building is 100 years old, originally owned by a woman, E.B. Howard, who lived upstairs and ran a salon for working women in the 1920s,” Christina said. “We want to honor that history while building something modern. The time is now for Grand Central.”

Sharon added: “Grand Central respects architecture and has its own vibe. Plus, it’s one of the only parts of Central that shuts down blocks for events like Halloween on Central—it’s a true community.”

Final Sip

Savoir on Central is more than a wine bar. It’s a space where sommeliers, community, and wine education come together—led by two women who chased their dream and brought it to life.

As Sharon put it: “We invite everybody to come for a glass—and stay for a class.”

👉 For more on the WSET path, see my feature on taking the Level 1 course in Tampa.

Andy Mezzari on Wine, BayVino, and Life Between Verona and Florida

Editor’s note: I’ve tried the Pinot Grigio from Friuli Andy mentioned and loved it so much that I’m doing a separate feature on it.