The team behind Thornbury’s Umberto Espresso Bar have opened a pop-up wine shop and snack bar, Pezzo (say ‘pet-zo’). It will be open until Christmas in Umberto’s tiny original space, a minute’s walk south of the High Street.
“We’re reviving the space where we served a lot of pasta and espresso for 13 years,” says owner Marco Finanzio, who credits his employee Sav Martino with the idea for the pop-up. “When a staff member comes to you with a great idea, you can’t shut it down.”
The snack is simple, rustic and without cutlery, while the wines are low-intervention Italian drops. The homemade focaccia will be finished with mortadella mousse or whipped cod. The team is also making a free-range pork lard, infused with black garlic and rosemary. “It’s very clean, beautiful and silky, and goes well with orange or cold red wine.”
Baccalaureate a la focaccia is one of the many handheld appetizers on offer. Photo: supplied
Next year, Finanzio plans to turn Pezzo into a fresh pasta shop with contemporary Italian drinks. Still unnamed, it’s a partnership with chef Shery Singh, who has been with the business since the beginning.
“He’s from Punjab and I see a lot of parallels with my father’s immigrant story when he came to Australia from Italy,” Finanzio says. “He deserves his next chance. I think it’s my responsibility to continue this story of migrants.”
Singh and Finanzio recently took a pasta discovery trip to Italy. “We’ve learned secrets and compared each other – we feel like we know what we’re doing.” The new store will use local ingredients, including durum grown and ground in Tamworth.
But for now, Pezzo is another way to enjoy Umberto’s hospitality. A collaboration with wine importers QuelVino, their shelves feature fresh producers using indigenous Italian grapes in exciting ways, with all bottles available to drink in or take home. “We’re trying to champion Lambrusco, which is strong in Emilia-Romagna but hasn’t come out in Melbourne yet.”
If there is a wine to look for, Finanzio recommends Il Farneto Frisant Bianco 2020 from Emilia-Romagna. “The grape is Spergola [and the wine is] organic, with a native yeast ferment and a second ferment in the bottle to create natural bubbles,” he says. “It’s a wonderful introduction to natural pet-nat that’s amazing with food.”
Open from Friday to Saturday from 3pm to 9pm until Christmas (extended hours pending demand).
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822 High Street, Thornbury, umbertogroup.com.au