October 8th, 2026
Greetings from Carrboro,
I counted plates this morning. And ordered six dozen more wine glasses to be safe. The order guide is more or less ready. As is the prep list, though with a few things still not carved in stone – we test recipes on Monday. And I have it on good authority that Guglielmo Bertani has his plane ticket firmly in hand. Which is, let’s just say, a tad important. Because you can’t have a winemaker’s dinner without a winemaker.
If you only think of Romeo and Juliet when you think of Verona, you should definitely add wine to that list. Soave, Valpolicella, and Amarone can often slide under the radar compared to their Italian brethren in Tuscany and Piemonte but the wines can be equally fantastic. Especially with food. And the wines of Tenuta Santa Maria are some of the region’s best – their Amarone alone is worth the price of admission. Guglielmo’s family has been making wine on their estate for six generations. And as someone who’s been in business a mere 28 years, that’s pretty damn impressive.
The Acme Wine Experience returns. Tuesday, October 20th. Join us as we explore the wonderful wines of Tenuta Santa Maria and welcome Guglielmo Bertani to Carrboro. Fall is the perfect time of year for their wines and our food. The dinner will begin promptly at 6:30pm with doors open at 6:00pm. Reservations are required for the four-course, five-wine meal. The menu is below. Tickets for the dinner are $85 plus tax and gratuity. It’s going to be a great night.
The Acme Wine Experience
Tuesday, October 20th
6:30 in the evening
1st Course
Carolina White Shrimp
toasted orzo, charred sweet peppers, capers, Italian parsley
2024 Soave ‘Lepiga’
2nd Course
Fall Green Gumbo
local greens, trinity, Carolina gold rice, grilled pheasant sausage
2023 Valpolicella Classico Superiore
3rd Course
Smoked Pork
sweet corn, mushrooms, caramelized onion jam
2023 Verona Rosso ‘Pragal’
4th Course
Overnight Braised Beef Cheek
gigante beans, tapenade, rosemary jus
2021 Valpolicella Ripasso & 2019 Amarone Riserva
