I’m going to be honest, I don’t know wine.
I had a bad wine night in college that took me a while to recover from, and for years I pretty much avoided the stuff. I do have wine people in my life, and occasionally I need to buy a bottle for someone who actually knows what they’re drinking.
That’s where Aardvark Wine & Beer comes in.
Located in the Linworth area, Aardvark has become a great neighborhood spot for wine, beer, and figuring out what the heck to bring to dinner when your friend says, “Just pick out a nice bottle.” They also helped fill the space left behind when The Anderson closed, giving the area another place to grab a drink, browse a great selection, or hang out for a while.
The thing I appreciate most about Aardvark is that you don’t have to be a wine expert to shop there. The selection is extensive, but the staff is incredibly helpful and actually listens to what you’re looking for. If you can tell them what you or the person you’re buying for likes, they can point you in the right direction. This is particularly helpful for people like me, whose wine knowledge mostly consists of knowing whether something is red or white.
If you’re trying to get better at knowing wine, Aardvark makes that pretty easy too.They host wine tastings every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, open to close, for $15. Each tasting features four wines, and the lineup changes every week. Even better, during the first weekend of every month, 20% of the tasting fee is donated to a local nonprofit. We are always happy to see a business find a way to work a little community support into something as fun as wine tasting.
But don’t let the name fool you into thinking Aardvark is only for wine people.
They have a fantastic selection of local and Ohio beers, too. This is actually where I go when I’m craving Noble Beast and haven’t managed to make it back up to Cleveland. So if wine isn’t your thing, there is still plenty here for you.
The bar itself has a fun little piece of Columbus history. The building was originally a scuba shop, and the bar is lovingly called the Dive Baar as a nod to the pool that used to be inside the building. It’s a great bit of weird local history,
What to know before you go
Aardvark is also kid-friendly, which can be useful if you’re looking for somewhere casual to grab a drink with the whole family. If a kid-friendly bar isn’t exactly the atmosphere you’re looking for, I’d recommend heading over later in the evening.
The parking lot is fairly small, so it can get a little tight when things are busy.
You can bring your own food to the bar, and if you’re lucky enough to catch Pachucos Food Truck outside, you’re in for a treat. Their food is fantastic and makes a pretty excellent companion to whatever you’ve ordered to drink.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think Aardvark is one of those places that works whether you’re already a wine person or you’re just trying to become one. You can come in knowing exactly what you want, come in with absolutely no idea what you want, or skip the wine entirely and grab a local beer.
For the wine lovers in your life, it’s a great place to find something new. For the rest of us, it’s a place where you can ask a bunch of questions without feeling like you should have studied for the wine portion of the evening first.
And honestly, that’s exactly the kind of wine shop I need.
Aardvark Wine & Beer
2355 W. Dublin-Granville Road
Columbus, OH 43235
aardvarkwineandbeer.com
Instagram: @aardvarkwineandbeer
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