Visitors to Scottsdale’s SouthBridge last weekend enjoyed the tastes of Eats3, a three-day spectacle devoted to gourmet food and wine that organizers hope will become an annual event. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Bellinger.)

I decided to try something a little different last weekend and went to check out the final day of Eats3, which must have translated as heaven for lovers of gourmet food and wine. The event was held in downtown Scottsdale and sponsored by a variety of local restaurants working under the collective name of Savor Scottsdale.

Like several other signature Scottsdale happenings, Eats3 stretched out over three days and featured a mixture of local and nationally-renowned chefs cooking and providing on-site demonstrations for people to watch. Jacques Pepin was the supposed to be the featured talent of the weekend. But Stephanie Izard drew a bigger crowd during her open-air demonstration, perhaps a tribute to the popularity of the TV show “Top Chef.” Or maybe because Pepin’s second performance took place at an awkward time late Saturday afternoon.

I wanted to go to Eats3 in part to see how it showed off Scottsdale’s new SouthBridge development below the canal that runs just south of Scottsdale Fashion Square. But it was the Marshall Way Bridge itself that really elevated the show, as the bridge has done for several other high-profile events since it opened more than a year ago. Nibbling on a selection of delectables is somehow always more pleasant when I’m doing it over water.

I spent most of my time at the Arizona Grand Tasting, which had the largest diversity of restaurant and wine choices. I worried about the hot afternoon weather (apparently we now have to describe this as seasonal), but the bridge roof and assorted tents provided ample shade and comfort. Pork seemed to be the secret theme ingredient, and I’d have to say my favorite taste of the afternoon was a Spanish wild boar rib from Sol y Sombra. Exotic but not too wild. The most surprising dish was beef tongue from Estate House. It was downright savory, and I never thought I’d say that about eating a cow’s tongue.

Eats3 publicity says there were 200 different wineries Saturday handing out samples, and I think that was only a slight exaggeration. But wine isn’t my forte; so I couldn’t resist also visiting the only beer distributor on-hand: Anchor Steam from San Francisco, with a long-time salesman appropriately named Robert Brewer. He was offering the world’s first tastes of the brewery’s upcoming Christmas ale (Plenty of the right spices at first; but the flavor quickly fades).

Overall, Eats3 had a strong crowd without being crowded, leaving enough elbow room to move around freely and take in the food as well as the sights of this dramatically upgraded area of downtown Scottsdale. I don’t know if that was good news for Savor Scottsdale (a packed bridge would have meant more money in the kitty at $85 a ticket), but it certainly encouraged me to look forward to Eats3 returning next year.