Aardvark Wine & Beer and Subourbon Southern Kitchen & Spirits have been teaming up on a series of wine pairing dinners, with the next one arriving on Tuesday, May 2.

Each dinner typically involves four courses paired with wines from the featured winery or importer. The May 2 edition will focus on selections from importer Ole & Obrigado. Seats are $80 plus tax and tip; RSVP by stopping by Subourbon or calling them at (614) 505-9773. They do sell out, so book your seats quickly!

We chatted with Donnie Austin, owner of Aardvark Wine & Beer, about how the series started, and what to expect on May 2 and in the future.

How did the dinners come about?

Our friend Melissa of Ancient Oak Cellars was coming to town and we wanted to share her wines within the context of food and people gathering around a table to enjoy dinner with her wines. Subourbon has a similar goal as us in providing a quality product and taking care of the people who come through their doors. We agreed that it seemed like a natural fit. I had previously co-hosted monthly wine dinners with Chef Thomas Smith at The Worthington Inn and it became a monthly gathering that many of us looked forward to, and now we're getting a similar feel with new friends and neighbors. The first dinner was a success and we want to do more together.

What's the focus of the May 2 dinner?

The May 2 dinner dives into the Iberian Peninsula and we're partnering with Ole & Obrigado, an importer that focuses on family-owned producers in Spain and Portugal. The Subourbon team has a lot of experience around Spanish food and culture. They came up with a menu and then we got together to taste through some wines and select what we thought would be the most thoughtful and fitting pairings. As a fan of Spanish food and drink culture, I'm excited that they're incorporating ingredients that aren't easy to come by in Ohio. We'll have Nikki Campagna on hand for the evening, who is the regional brand ambassador for the portfolio. She's a seasoned wine pro and we're fortunate that she's located right here in Columbus.

Will these be regular collaborations between Aardvark and Subourbon?

We believe so. I don't think it will be a set monthly event but we'll put together dinners or events that make sense for everybody. We want them to be unique and interesting and not just a wine dinner slapped together. Chef Odine Hong has a broad range of what she can create so it's fun to feed off whatever she has in mind. It gives us a lot of flexibility to do whatever we’re focused on. We can work with a winery owner or winemaker or come up with something fun with another partner in the business that best highlights quality wines and plates and the marriage of the two. I like to think about it like your favorite band. The band together is greater than the sum of the members individually.