30 JULY 2026 By Michael P. Murphy Imagine going into a Valley bar or a restaurant and ordering a glass of wine. As the server pours, you ask about the details – vintage, flavor profile, etc. It might happen that the server knows nothing about it. Their job is to pour, right? Did you know there’s a wine bar in Old Town Scottsdale where every single employee is certified and knows how to talk wine? Welcome to The Wine Collective – a shop that’s celebrating its fourth anniversary in 2026. Owner Zoya Vero-Shah is proud of her staff’s knowledge. It’s a standard she expects as a customer, she said, because she is passionate about wine, hospitality, and people. She loves making people feel good. Her background conveys her experience in the industry. “I have been in the business for 20- plus years,” she said. “I started out as a bartender and a server, then I became a distribution rep in Florida, then a specialist. I opened my first bar, the Wine Cellar, in 2011, then a second location. This is my third, which is also a tasting and bottle shop.” Zoya likes to stress that they are “representing the unrepresented” wineries that are too small to open a tasting room in the city. The goal is to cater to everybody, with a focus on vino from twelve Arizona wineries. They also offer wines that are difficult to grow in our desert climate, such as pinot noir. Libations from Italy, France, Oregon, and California are also available. “People are usually interested in the Arizona wines,” Zoya said. “We offer a wonderful variety for customers to enjoy. In one sitting, if you wanted, you could try up to 12 different sips, all from different parts of the state.” The Wine Collective held its anniversary celebration with a Meet the Maker event featuring Todd Bostock of Dos Cabezas Wineworks. Zoya hopes to begin a delivery service in the future, but in the meantime, there is much to appreciate for patrons of The Wine Collective, including the environment. There is a certain vibe to being in Old Town Scottsdale that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. “I moved from DC 20 years ago, and I fell in love,” she said. “It’s very unique, so I wanted to have a place here. I love the energy and catering to people that are traveling and showing them amazing wines. It’s a great community.” the-wine-collective.com The Wine Collective pours knowledge into every glass There is no shortage of wine in Old Town Scottsdale. Here are a few other spots to check out: v WINE GIRL 4205 N. Scottsdale Road Locally owned and serving wines by the glass, flight and bottle, plus local craft beers and snacks. winegirl.com v ARIDUS WINE AND TASTING ROOM 7173 E. Main St. Aridus offers a space where folks can try award-winning wines produced in Southeast Arizona. ariduswineco.com v LDV WINERY 7134 E. Stetson Dr. Enjoy a wine tasting flight, wines by the glass or bottle to enjoy on one of two patios, or purchase wines to go. ldvwinery.com v LOS MILICS VINEYARDS 4151 N. Marshall Way Los Milics grows its own grapes and pair their wines with inventive bites at this Scottsdale tasting room. losmilicsvineyards.com WHERE TO SIP Shop owner Zoya Vero-Shah. The Wine Collective offers tastings, small bites and education. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZOYA VEROSHAH By Michael P. Murphy On April 25, 1976, two protesters with ill intent stepped onto the field at Dodger Stadium during an afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs. They dropped an American flag on the grass in left/center field, soaked it with kerosene and flicked a lighter. That’s when Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced to the trespassers, grabbed the flag and ran away with it before the protesters could set it on fire. The crowd of baseball fans cheered. The protesters were arrested, fined $80 each and given two years’ probation. That was 50 years ago. Monday not only saved the flag from destruction, but he also took ownership of it. It is now on exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where visitors not even born that day can learn its history and appreciate it. The American flag matters. It should be treated with respect. In 1942, a joint resolution of the United States Congress passed and later amended what is now known as the U.S. Flag Code. While it stands as U.S. Federal law, following the code is voluntary, a guideline for how to display and not display the flag, how it should be handled, and how it should be properly disposed of. Here are some examples: • A flag should only be displayed from sunrise to sunset unless properly illuminated at night. Only an all-weather flag should be displayed during foul weather. • It is commonly thought that when a flag touches the ground it should be destroyed, but that is not true. If a flag is soiled, it should be properly washed or dry cleaned. • The flag should never be displayed with the union stars upside down, unless to stand for dire distress. • Most American Legion posts and Boy Scout troops hold retirement ceremonies for American flags, including Arcadia’s Troop 6. The United States Postal Service has a process, known as V-P approved, for displaying flags other than the American flag at postal stations. Flags representing MIA-POWs and the US Postal Service are approved. County, state or any other flags are not allowed. No other flag should be at the same level, or above, to the right of the American flag. According to Phoenix Fire Department Captain DJ Lee, fire stations keep their flag raised around the clock, lowering it only when it needs to be replaced or lowered to half-staff. “Half-staff is usually for when someone of significance gets hurt or dies,” he said. “The City of Phoenix will usually tell us when to put it at half-staff, when we lower the flag halfway down the pole as a sign of mourning.” Would you believe there is a name for an expert in flags? A flag expert is known as a vexillologist, a term coined in 1957 by Whitney Smith, himself a scholar of flags. While most of us are not destined to be a vexillologist, it is good to be well versed in the proper etiquette of the American flag – especially during the month of our nation’s 250 th birthday. Rick Monday’s action serves as a reminder why the flag matters, because people still choose to protect and honor it. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…

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