Tampa Theatre's annual movie-themed wine festival this year is called Napoleon Wineamite, so the five-day series of events Sept. 10-17 will be flippin' sweet.
While tickets range from $50 wine tastings to an elegant $250 multi-course gourmet meal, a new feature this year is an event for those of us on a tater tot budget. A special $10 showing of the campy 2004 classic Napoleon Dynamite will allow the audience to bring blankets and lawn chairs to spread out on the stage deck that will be extended over the downstairs seats in preparation for Friday evening's wine-tasting event.
You can also sit in the historic theater's balcony for the Sept. 10 showing, but we think lawn chairs would look right at home in Napoleon's backwoods Idaho town.
The film stars Jon Heder, pictured, as a high school outcast whose friendship with a new student named Pedro prompts an act of defiance that makes him a hero. Movie tickets are $10 and you can buy them at tampatheatrewinefest.org along with other WineFest event tickets.
The popular foodie event often sells out, so you have been warned. Despite the fancy food, guests show up in movie-themed costumes so get that Vote for Pinot shirt ready.
"While the theme may be silly, the purpose is most serious," a Tampa Theatre news release says. Now in its 14th year, the annual WineFest is Tampa Theatre's biggest fundraising event of the year, benefitting the historic theater's artistic and educational programs as well as its ongoing preservation and restoration at 711 Franklin St., Tampa.
The rest of the WineFest lineup includes:
• Wine Tasting Sept. 11. This two-tiered wine tasting is $50 from 8-10 p.m. for a Grand Tasting that includes an array of wines and food from more than a dozen of Tampa Bay's best restaurants. A Premium Tasting ticket ($85) gets you in early at 7 p.m. for exclusive wines.
• Wine Pairing Sept. 12: The theater's stage will be expanded to seat more than 200 for an elegant multi-course menu created by chef Marty Blitz from Mise En Place with wines paired with each dish. Tickets are $250.
• Wine Brunch Sept. 13: Breakfast fare catered by SONO Cafe and Mise en Place with mimosas, bellinis and select light wines. $40.
• The 95 pt+ Wine Experience Sept. 17: Dinner is paired with wine selections ranked 95 points or higher by industry publications. $250.
Sharon Kennedy Wynne, Times staff writer, swynne@tampabay.com. Follow @SharonKWn.