Thursday, April 4th, 2019
Greetings from Carrboro,
The seal-covered Falklands. Machu Picchu. Fabled stories of swarming piranhas eating cows in the Amazon. Just a few disparate images. But by and large, the alpha and omega of my uneducated view of South America ultimately came down to the scantily clad women dancing in Rio during Carnival. Can you blame me? Those images sort of burned into my young occipital lobe. Nuance, poor thing, didn’t have a chance.
Then wine just up and changed all that. Who knew that geography could be served in a glass? I have no clue exactly what year it happened. 1999? But my mind was blown. Completely. I don’t even remember her name. But she was a third generation winemaker from Argentina. It was her first trip to the US to sell her family’s wine. And by the third taste, I was enthralled. The wines were powerful and precise and delicious. I remember looking at the map as she tapped her finger showing me where the vineyards were; it was like seeing South America for the first time. “Those are the Andes,” she said. “And that is where I live. Mendoza.”
These many years later, Argentine Malbec is part of the wine pantheon. For good reason. But I really think that it is people and place that make a wine riveting. The culture and craft that translates into something truly memorable in the bottle. And it is that woven fabric of dedication and desire that we will showcase on Thursday, April 18th. Stephanie Morton-Small is flying in from famed Finca Decero to join me for a deep-dive into their single vineyard, small batch expressions of some of Argentina’s finest winemaking. It’ll be a red wine lover’s dream with food that will be appropriately righteous. If you think about it, Thursdays don’t get much better. And in case you’re worried, all the episodes of season 8 of Game of Thrones are on Sundays; I checked.
The Acme Wine Dinner with the illustrious Stephanie Morton-Small and Finca Decero. Thursday, April 18th. We will get started at 6:30 that evening. Tickets are $75 for the five-course meal. Menu is below. Space is limited and tickets can only be purchased by calling the restaurant (919 929 2263). I expect the dinner to sell out rather quickly. As always, I hope that you can join us.
Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.
Cheers,
The Staff at Acme
Reservations 919-929-2263 or online
The Acme Wine Dinner with Finca Decero
& Stephanie Morton-Small
Thursday, April 18th at 6:30 in the evening
1st
Charred Spring Onion Salad
Chicken fat croutons, toasted pecans, mi-cuit salmon
2017 Malbec
2nd
Crab Empanada
Farmer John’s mushrooms, house made lardon, basil ricotta
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
3rd
Grilled Chorizo
Blistered potatoes, grilled peppers and onions, chimichurri
2015 “The Owl & The Dust Devil”
4th
Smoked Beef Brisket
Green garlic spoonbread, crispy leeks, salsa roja
2013 Petit Verdot
5th
Grilled Sweetbreads
Fennel confit, Manchego, Elise’s greens, charred lemon, pappardelle
2014 “Amano”