It's been on our radar for a while, but this is the first year we've attended the Burbank Winter Wine Walk. The billing is basically that there's a vendor fair from 12-8 PM, and the "wine walk" is from 4-7 PM, featuring 2 oz. pours at 40 stops, plus live bands and DJs.

We arrived right at 4 PM. The event check-in is near the AMC movie theater, which is basically in the heart of downtown Burbank. There, we showed our IDs and ticket QR code, then received a wristband, map, and "Burbank Wine Walk" branded plastic wine vessel (neither "glass" nor "cup" quite feel like the right word).

Right away, for this event being an annual tradition, it feel disorganized. A lot of places are listed on the map, but it isn't completely clear why. Specific drinks are listed under some of the business names, and other listings show just business names and corresponding addresses, without any explanation. Are they tasting stops? Who knows?!

The map shows "wine pop ups" and, initially, we had no idea what that meant... Ah - they're designated wine tasting areas on the street, enclosed by waist-high, plastic, picket fences. Can we just call them "wine gardens"? After all, it's the same idea as a German or Austrian "biergarten".

From the aforementioned check-in spot, we worked our way south, down San Fernando Blvd., to "pop ups" # 1-4. At the first one, we showed our bracelets to the security guards, made our way to the pouring tables, and yikes, the wines were bad. It also didn't take long to learn that the people doing the pouring aren't winos. They were all very friendly and, for the most part, if they had any tasting notes to share, it came from the description on the back of the bottle. These wines also seemed very random. I once was a member of the WSJ Wine club (Wall Street Journal - our review is here), and the wines shipped seemed to be more based on a deal struck than any sort of curated value. That kind of felt like the situation here. Having spent a lot of time in the wine aisle at the grocery store over the years, it seemed odd not recognizing a single brand at this event.

I did appreciate that there were a few options beyond wine. There was a canned Moscow mule, Stella Artois, Mario's hard espresso, and several Golden Road Brewing options, like the "Ride On" West Coast IPA. All these options, yet the event didn't provide any water! There weren't any spittoons, either, but at least there were large trash cans next to the "pop up" entrance/exits. Since Burbank isn't quite a place like New Orleans, booze in an open container is only allowed in the designated areas.

As the end of the wine walk event approached, we consulted the map, to see if anything was in our general vicinity. We made a stop at # 14 - a gym called EverFit - and they really set a high bar (no pun intended) for this wine tasting. They were pouring pricey whites and reds, and both were delicious.

From there, we tried to make a stop at Media City Sun (for "Belle Glos Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Quilt Wines", according to the map), but we didn't see the entrance. Instead, down an alley, we found the back of Urban Press Winery. That's one of those places with no description on the "Wine Walk" map and, guess what? The wine place was one of the best stops during this event. There was a pasta station, which was unattended, so the stagnant line wasn't moving. After a few minutes, I gave up hope there and moved on to taste the white wine. It was so good and poured by the actual winemaker. Next, we headed downstairs and tasted the red wine... again, fantastic.

We'll be back here again sometime. And hey, on the way out, I had a celebrity sighting, who is NCIS-related... I'll just give a hint: it was an actress who was one of "Gibbs'" three ex-wives on the show.

Overall, the Burbank Wine Walk was fun. Compared to the tastings we've paid for in Napa, Temecula, and beyond, I feel like the price was fair enough (early bird pricing of about $50 each). The event was definitely a little disorganized, but I'd try it again.

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"Burbank Winter Wine Walk Review (2025)"

Written by: Justin Kilmer

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This page was written entirely by a human. It was last updated in Dec. 2025.