Summertime wine often gets the short end of the stick. They’re sort of the air-headed blond jokes of the oenological world – the insipid sips that chose to take off for the beach and work on their tan rather than diligently attending a prestigious wine school summer enrichment program. I’m sure that you know the type. Think Drew Barrymore. Post Firestarter.

But now that it’s July and hot and the hellacious humidity is once again claiming dominion over our perspiring hamlet, these summertime wines seem just about perfect. You know, wildly refreshing and not too serious. And, well, delicious. So what better way to punctuate the ending of the 2017 Acme Tomato Festival than with, you guessed it, a Tomato & Wine Dinner. The best flavors of Summertime collide. On Monday. In downtown Carrboro. Oooh, baby.

And we’ve invited the North Carolina TomatoMan himself, Craig LeHoullier, to join us and talk about his oh-so-delicious obsession. And, yes, Craig is the man who discovered the famed Cherokee Purple tomato that is sold in farmers’ markets nationwide. And, yes, he’s great and fun and happy to answer all your tomato queries. Within reason, of course.

The Tomato Festival’s grand finale – The Acme Tomato & Wine Dinner. This Monday, July 17^th. We’ll get started at 6:30 in the evening. Price is $65 per person for the five-course meal. Menu is below. All reservations are required by phone (919 929 2263) for the dinner. Space is limited. It’s going to be a great night. So, if you truly love tomatoes and wine and summer, I’d say that this dinner is downright made for you. No joke.

There are still a few seats left for the Game of Thrones Dinner this Thursday night at 8. Three, to be exact. If you snooze, you lose. Wednesday’s dinner is sold out. (Note: Acme will be open for regular service on both nights.)

And the 16^th Annual Acme Tomato Festival starts in earnest this Friday the 14^th and will run through Monday the 17^th. Basically, Carrboro becomes the center of the tomato universe for one weekend. Always a blast. And always delicious. Local is a good thing.

Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.

First
Compressed melon & heirloom tomatoes
oregano, feta, red onion, olive oil
Gruet Sparkling Rosé

Second
Old school southern tomato pie
Hickory Grove cheese, basil
2016 Elk Cove Pinot Gris

Third
Carolina blue crab cake
local asparagus, tomato chutney
2015 Lavantureux Chablis

Fourth
Smoked pork tenderloin
sweet corn pudding, tomato jam
2014 Sono Montenidoli Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG