Enoteca Sileno Iconic Italian company in Melbourne to close after 70 years

Enoteca Sileno in Carlton will be making a comeback as owners John and Rosemary Portelli are approaching 70 and plan to retire.

The store, which grew out of a company founded by Rosemary’s father, Gino Di Santo, will close on June 1.

The website will continue while supplies last, the company said, as will some of the company’s import and wholesale portion.

“We’ve been on this epic culinary adventure for more than 40 years, building on what Gino started and dedicating ourselves to the family business and Australia’s burgeoning love affair with Italian food,” the couple said in a statement.

“What started from humble origins has become a true national gastronomic passion and we’ve loved showcasing some incredible masters of Italian cuisine here in Australia.”

Gino Di Santo brought the first ice cream machines to Australia after immigrating from Molise.

He also introduced one of the first Italian coffee machines to the city, which is now world famous for its beans.

The Italian Panettone cake was also introduced to Australia by Di Santo after he moved to Australia in the 1950s.

He ordered the cakes to be packed in galvanized wooden crates to keep them fresh during the trip, the company said.

The company said he was part of a “spaghetti mafia” seeking to improve alcohol licensing in Australian restaurants, leading to the provision of licensed dining after 8pm.

Di Santo also became the first Italian immigrant to have a stand at the Home Show in the Melbourne Exhibition Building in 1953.

He displayed a Borletti portable sewing machine, Murano Venetian glass and Italian cigars and cigarettes at a time when they were new to Australia.

He also installed the first La Cimbali espresso machine at Cafè Lexington on Exhibition Street and took David Jones’ first universal coffee machine to Sydney in 1955.

It later began importing Italian baby food, Plasmon, Italian mineral water, as well as La Carpigiani gelato machines.

Italian staples that are common in Australian households were also introduced by Di Santo.

Canned vegetables such as artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes, durum wheat pasta, virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Italian liqueurs such as Amaro Ramazzotti and Amaretto di Saronno have also landed in Australia thanks to it, the company said.

He even brought the first jigger table to Melbourne. It was installed in the L’Europeo espresso bar on Lygon Street.

He also took Australian favorites including Carlton Draft and Swan Lager to Italy, showing them at trade fairs.

Di Santo opened Enoteca Sileno in Carlton, near Melbourne’s central business district, in 1982.

In 1995 he was named a Living Legend by the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and in 1999 Gino was awarded the Cavaliere del Lavoro or Italian Knighthood.