Urban Wine Walk A-Z: Everything you need to know

This year’s commemorative Urban Wine Walk glasses feature artwork by Josh Makes with summery, mid-century modern vibes. To get yours: be one of the first 200 people at CityScape Phoenix starting at 1 p.m.

The 10th Annual Urban Wine Walk gets uncorked Saturday at 1 p.m. but before you and your entourage sip and saunter your way through downtown’s original self-guided wine tasting tour, here’s what you need to know before you go, A-Z style:

A is for Ambassadors. Have a question about Downtown Phoenix or need assistance with directions, parking or recommendations? The DTPHX Ambassadors have ALL the answers. Look for the orange shirts with “ASK ME” printed on the back or call (602) 495-1500. They are the best.

B is for Basement Bar. We love a good basement bar and Cornish Pasty Co. has not one, not two, but THREE bars on their tri-level property. Stop in for a Rose or Pinot Noir sample served with spicy jalapeno curry bean dip.

C is for Cash, as in bring some. Cash makes lines go faster and makes your hard-working servers and bartenders extremely happy. ABT: Always. Be. Tipping.

D is for Dust Cutter, the signature restaurant at Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, recent recipient of the first-ever Family Friendly Hotel Award, endorsed by Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Downtown is blessed with several amazing hotels, and many of those hotels feature restaurants participating in Urban Wine Walk, including the aforementioned Dust Cutter (bacon-wrapped dates), newly remodeled Jacy & Dakota’s (smoked salmon crostini) at Westin Phoenix Downtown, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails (Bodega red, white or rose) at Hotel Palomar, Monroe’s (crowd-pleasing Prosecco) at Hilton Garden Inn, Match Market & Bar (prosciutto, mascarpone and honey bruschetta) FOUND:RE and From the Rooftop (steak fries, shrimp skewers) at Cambria on Roosevelt.

E is for Elote, aka Mexican street corn, which is fun to say and the complimentary snack being offered with wine sample purchase at Willie’s Taco Joint and Chico Malo.

F is for Free, which is exactly how much it costs to participate in Urban Wine Walk. Free for restaurants. Free for attendees. Always has been. Always will be.

G is for GenuWine, our wine expert besties located on First Avenue and Roosevelt. In addition to being Urban Wine Walk stalwarts, GenuWine hosts an array of community building events like book clubs and trivia nights.

H is for Hidden Track Café and Bodega, the neighborhood’s favorite bottle shop and eatery that recently added a wine bar. In addition to being wine aficionados, owners Craig and Danielle also know quite a bit about charcuterie. On Saturday, Hidden Track will be offering Hassyampa Farm Hassiago Cheese or Fripper’s Pepperoni Bites – both served with Noble Bread Crostini.

I is for ICYMI and in case you missed it, the Herberger Theater Center, one of downtown’s most-cherished cultural institutions, now has its own bar called Spotlight. Stop by for a wine sample served with a dessert shot.

J is for Chef Stephen Jones, owner of larder + the delta, one of 11 restaurants making their Urban Wine Walk debut on Saturday. Chef Jones is serving up an elevated snack called The Dwight Schrute (pimento cheese, crispy chicken thigh, bacon jam, buttermilk biscuit), a nod to “The Office” beet and bear expert who once said, “All you need is love. False. The four basic human necessities are air, water, food, and shelter.” For the record we think biscuits are the fifth human necessity.

K is for Kahvi Coffee + Café, located at MonOrchid on Roosevelt and Second Street. But coffee isn’t all Khavi is serving up. During Urban Wine Walk this stylish coffee shop is pouring Brut champagne, Italian red and Portuguese white, paired with mini quiche.

L is for Light Rail. It would be so cool if there was an affordable and safe way to get in and out of downtown on event days … oh wait, we already have that and you can ride all day for just $4.

Note: Due to track-tie in work being done as part of the light rail extension project, trains are running every 20 minutes instead of every 15 minutes.

M is for Membership, and Phoenix Community Alliance Members make up more than 30 percent of our Urban Wine Walk roster! If you care about how our downtown is evolving, PCA is where you (or your business or your employer) need to be. Learn more here.

N is for Nice Artwork! s/o to local artist Josh Makes who created our 10th Annual Urban Wine Walk poster art.

O is for Oysters, which is one of the fancy pants snack pairings (caviar being another) being served by one of our favorite new restaurants PA’LA, located on Washington Street across from Block 23.

P is for Progress, our endearing term for construction, of which there is a considerable amount. High-rise development, new light rail extensions, all of it is strengthening our neighborhood but also making it slightly more challenging to get around. So plan ahead, leave extra time to get where you’re headed, and above all be patient. DPI works tirelessly to provide content designed to make navigating our progress easier, like this.

Q is for Quaint, which is one of the words we use to describe Garden Bar, another first-time Urban Wine Walk participant, which is housed in 1914-built California bungalow on Sixth Avenue and Roosevelt Street. Like so many of this year’s UWW restaurants, Garden Bar is offering an elevated menu including Marqués de Cáceres Cava Brut paired with truffle popcorn, Neboa Albariño paired with fromage blanc cheese, and more.

R is for Ride Share, another excellent transportation option for getting to and from Urban Wine Walk safely. We do not want you to drive impaired, if you’re picking up what we’re laying down.

S is for Shoes, as in wear some that are comfortable. This is a walking tour (it’s in the name) and we want your experience to be blister-free.

T is for Taxidermy, which is an aesthetic calling card of one of downtown’s newest restaurants, Wren & Wolf. That’s a tease. It’s a must-see and the second concept from Downtown residents Katie and Teddy Myers, owners of fan-favorite, Chico Malo at CityScape.

U is for Ultra HD, the best way to watch our Phoenix Suns or any televised sporting contest, and nobody has more Ultra HD TVs than The Ainsworth PHX, downtown’s preeminent (and elevated) sports bar experience.

V is for Vertical Living, something downtown now has an abundance of. In fact, one of our longest tenured residential towers, CityScape Residences, is graciously sponsoring Urban Wine Walk by giving away commemorative wine glasses to the first 200 wine walkers who arrive at Patriots Park (west block of CityScape) the day of the event. If you’re itching to make a move downtown, their staff will be on hand to give tours of their property.

W is for Phoenix’s Warehouse District, home to dozens of tech and creative companies and also the unique adaptive reuse project The Duce, a former school that was transformed into multi-faceted indoor/outdoor entertainment destination including a boxing ring, vintage clothes retailer, Airstream trailer restaurants and cocktails served out of mason jars. During Urban Wine Walk The Duce will be serving three different sangrias and gourmet popcorn.

X is for XICO Arte Y Cultura, a 46-year-old Latin and Indigenous artist gallery and cultural center on First Avenue and Roosevelt. Nestled on the backside of this center city treasure is BARCOA, a new agave bar that specializes in tequila and mezcal. Speaking of mezcal, one of BARCOA’s snack pairings is a smoky mezcal flan.

Y is for YOLO, the most compelling reason to join us for the 10th Annual Urban Wine Walk.

Z is for Zee Peralta, a PCA Member and one of DPI’s ace photographers, who will be out snapping pictures of Urban Wine Walk attendees, restaurants and our increasingly rad downtown. Be sure to say hi to Zee and say cheese!