Jacki Evans is the winemaker for Sin Banderas Wines in Washington’s Yakima Valley and part of the winemaking team at Owen Roe Estate. A Texas native, she studied Biology at the University of Texas at Austin without a clear career path—until a home winemaking kit with a friend sparked a running joke: “I don’t wanna go to class or work, I just wanna make wine.” That joke became a calling, leading her into the world of “harvest hopping” with 22 harvests across Oregon, New Zealand, Austria, Napa, and beyond. In 2013, she moved to Yakima to join Owen Roe and has called it home ever since. Now entering her 23rd harvest, she brings a global perspective to Washington winemaking, crafting wines with balance, precision, and approachability.
Media Inquiries: jacki@sinbanderaswines.com | https://www.sinbanderaswines.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Sin Banderas—Spanish for “without flags”—was founded by four friends from Texas, Washington, France, and Mexico who met while making wine in the Yakima Valley. Our name reflects a belief that wine transcends borders and cultures. The ship on our label represents our global journeys, while the tree symbolizes the roots we’ve planted in the Pacific Northwest. We craft small-batch Yakima Valley wines with balance, precision, and approachability. What makes us unique is our authenticity: a shared love of travel and discovery, expressed through wines meant to bring people together.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
If Sin Banderas weren’t constrained by resources, we’d expand into a truly global collaboration. We’d bring in fruit, techniques, and creative input from the regions where our founders trained—New Zealand, France, Australia, Oregon, California—and host “traveling harvests,” making wine in multiple hemispheres each year, then uniting those wines under the Sin Banderas name to celebrate a world without borders. At home in Yakima Valley, we’d build an intimate, destination-style estate: a sustainable vineyard planted to varietals from across the globe – showcasing the region’s diversity. This winery would be more than a tasting room; it would be a gathering place for food, culture, and storytelling, where international winemaker residencies and shared meals bring the spirit of exploration full circle. Our dream is a space that feels as global and borderless as our name—rooted in Yakima, yet open to the world.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Our Syrah–Mourvèdre blend is the flagship of Sin Banderas and the wine that tells our story best. Sourced from carefully chosen Yakima Valley vineyards, it reflects the region’s long growing season, dramatic diurnal swings, and distinctive soils. The wine spends about two years in French oak—enough to frame the fruit with elegance without overwhelming it. Syrah brings depth, spice, and structure, while Mourvèdre adds savory nuance and earthiness; like our founders, each variety has its own character, but together they create something richer and more harmonious than either could alone. Balanced, structured, yet approachable, this blend captures our philosophy: rooted in Washington, informed by the world. If you were to taste just one of our wines, this is the bottle that reveals who we are. Here’s the wine review!
Bonus Question: What are your wholehearted convictions related to the wine business?
That wine should be an invitation, not a barrier. Too often, the industry leans on prestige, scoring, or gatekeeping, but the real strength of the wine business is in its culture of collaboration. In Yakima Valley, we’ve seen firsthand how wineries help each other out — sharing knowledge, equipment, and even lending a hand during harvest. It’s a reminder that this business thrives when we work together. For us, the conviction is simple: wine is at its best when it brings people in, builds bridges, and supports a rising tide for everyone.