People: Umberto Menghi

Mention Umberto Menghi's name at a gathering of Vancouver restaurateurs and chances are that half the room will have worked for the ebullient Tuscan at some point in their careers. It's not that the distinguished restaurant owner is all that old, but, at 53, he can already count close to 40 years of experience in the hospitality business. And now he is adding another facet to his career; winemaking.

Umberto, as he is singularly called by everyone, was born on Oct. 24, 1946, in Pontedera, Tuscany, between the storied cities of Florence and Pisa. At the age of 12, he ran away from his Tuscan farm home, fearful his parents would enroll him in priesthood. "It was a short run away, only a few kilometers. I took shelter in a small restaurant in the countryside owned by a couple that had no children. I just ran around the kitchen, washing dishes, breaking dishes, cleaning floors, moving boxes, peeling potatoes and carrots." A few days later, when his father came looking for him to assure him he could return home, Umberto stood his ground and worked the rest of the summer in the restaurant. "People were giving me a little money for tips because I was clearing the tables, setting them up, bringing bread and pouring wine. I felt needed; I felt strong. And suddenly I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life."

At 16, he enrolled in a Roman hotel school, and on graduation he went on to jobs in London and Paris. He was lured to Canada by Expo '67 in Montreal, moved west when that was over, and, after working several jobs and raising restaurant financing by selling Italian sweaters wholesale, he finally opened his first restaurant in a yellow house on Hornby Street. Three decades later, the resilient Tuscan presides over a restaurant empire. In Vancouver, that includes The Yellow House, Il Giardino and Borgo Antico, while in trendy Whistler, he has Il Caminetto and Trattoria di Umberto. In between, the sometimes-fiery boss has found time to write four culinary best-sellers, and has starred in several internationally syndicated television series.

So what do you do when you've finally made it? If you are Umberto, you pursue the dream of returning to your homeland. "I think every immigrant dreams of a triumphant return to his or her native land," he says. In 1989, Umberto did just that, buying and restoring a country estate near Pisa. He named it Villa Delia after his mother, and $7-million later, the property opened in 1995 as a cooking school/hotel. But Villa Delia is much more than a watering hole for the rich; it's a working estate on which Umberto not only grows olives and grapes but is also fulfilling his desire to produce top-quality olive oil and wine.

Thanks to Umberto's zeal, there are now 3,740 olive trees at Villa Delia, the maximum allowed by Tuscan law. At full production, the estate will produce 6,500 litres of oil, unquestionably the soul of Tuscan cooking and the lead tenor in the region's operatic culinary performance. But it's the wine that's the big story at Villa Delia. As the son of a grape grower who routinely sold his grapes to the local consortium, Umberto's early memories are of wine. "I remember it as hard, dirty work and now I find myself paying for the pleasure of doing the same." Umberto Menghi, right, holds out high hopes for his inaugural 1997 vintage of Bambolo, a wine blended from four grapes grown on his Villa Delia estate in Tuscany. The vintage is his determined attempt at producing a wine with "elegance, grace and style."

Having experienced the fine-wine revolution in North America, especially in restaurants, Umberto was "upset with the local mentality at Pisa where growers refused to update their wines. "With so many great new wines produced nearby, Umberto was determined to put Villa Delia on the Tuscan wine map.

His first step was to involve one of Italy's youngest and brightest winemaker/consultants, Alberto Antonini. Antonini graduated from the Agriculture Faculty of the University of Florence in 1985 with a thesis on native Tuscan grape varieties on the verge of extinction. His professional development includes stints as an assistant oenologist at the Marchesi di Frescobaldi winery from 1986 to 1989, as technical director of Tenuta Col d'Orcia in Montalcino from 1989 to 1993 and as director of the oenological sector of the Marchesi Antinori winery between 1994 and 1996. Yet, it was more than just his Italian work experience that landed Antonini the job. The young winegrower's passion had already taken him outside the country, to vineyards in California, Australia, Argentina, and to study at the University of Bordeaux and the University of California at Davis.

Umberto recalls his early meetings with Antonini. "I admired his energy and uncomplicated thinking. He was open-minded and, above all, not stuck to the past. He was the perfect catalyst to raise the fortunes of the Colli Pisane, not only by making a block buster wine but rather one with elegance, grace and style. It was like talking to a chef who understood less is more." In the same way the Tuscans speak of their food as la cucina povera - one that requires no elaboration or frills - Umberto wanted to produce wine with similar elements, a wine he would call Bambolo.

Bambolo (pronounced BOM-bah-lo) is not your average Tuscan wine. In fact, it doesn't fit the DOCG laws that govern the local Chianti Colli Pisane and, like many other new-wave Italian reds, it bears the somewhat inadequate and ubiquitous table-wine moniker, Vino da Tavola. The blend is a unique mix of 40% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and, oddly 10% Pinot Noir. All of the grapes are grown at the 22-hectare Villa Delia estate, where the vines range in age from five to fifteen years.

Knowing how easy it is to be seduced by the Tuscan countryside, I was thankful my introduction to the inaugural 1997 Bambolo would be in Canada, far from the distractions of those magnificent hilltop towns. Still, I'm not sure who was more apprehensive at the preview tasting, the producer or the taster.

Our trepidation proved unfounded. Bambolo is a very fine wine. Taking its cue from its name, Bambolo exhibits a "youthful exuberance on the nose and palate, and it appears to take full advantage of the generous 1997 vintage, the best harvest in Tuscany since 1900. Rich, round, ripe tannins are at the centre of Bambolo's construction - not unlike its nearby coastal cousins at Bolgheri and Grosetto. The bouquet opens with a predictable vanilla scent from the new French oak barrels in which is spends nineteen months ageing. There's a silky, smooth texture in the mouth, packed with plummy, blackberry and anise fruit. It's delicious, and when I asked Umberto what food he would serve alongside his wine he smiles and said: "Wild board, duck with olives in red wine sauce, or maybe grilled eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and lamb chops." On its own with a piece of Pecorino cheese is how I pictured it.

At age 12 Umberto began working in restaurants, at age 53 he owns five, and a hotel in native Tuscany. With the pressure of the tasting over, Umberto becomes more animated, suggesting Villa Delia appears headed in the right direction, perhaps eventually being able to compete with his superstar neighbours, Sassicaia and Ornellaia. Although it's not ready for release, there is a more traditional, super Tuscan blend still slumbering at Villa Delia. It is labelled Rosso Garbato. The classic 70/30 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon is scheduled for released in early 2000. The cost is $95, and my guess is it will delight the many fans of super Tuscan wine. For Umberto Menghi, it is the completion of a triumphant return to his native land. Villa Delia di Umberto 1997 Bambolo is available in selected British Columbia liquor stores for $49.95 and is poured at all of Umberto's restaurants.