Wine, beer dinners/pairings

Blue offers a food and beer pairing night, with five dishes inspired by and paired with Old Mecklenburg Brewery goods. Among the pairings: Kolsner with pan-seared Alaskan halibut over lemon and blue crab risotto; Copper with braised and grilled cured pork shoulder with crisp cremini mushrooms; and Fruh Bock with single-origin Colombian dark chocolate mousse. $34.95; Hearst Tower (corner of College and 5th streets); 704-927-2583.

Positano's next wine dinner is May 3, with Marco Laico of Vino Vino presenting Italian wines. Four courses will be $40; courses include risotto with baby vegetables and veal sweetbreads, with 2008 Fausti “Fausto” Sangiovese-Montepulciano; and pan-roasted chicken stuffed with mozzarella, porcini and ricotta, with 2005 Argentiera “Villa Donoratico” Cabernet Sauvignon. Birkdale Village; 704-896-2979.

The Wine Shop at Foxcroft will highlight wines of Washington state, guest speaker James Corbin, and the shop's new chef, Tom Landers, at a wine dinner May 11. Among the courses: seared scallop with maple Dijon cream and 2008 McCrae Vineyards Sirraco; and slow-roasted pork belly with wrm Indian spices and 2007 Andrew Will Ciel de Cheval Vineyard Red Blend. $65; 7824 Fairview Road; 704-365-6550.