Welcome to 'The Wog With The Grog' page!
So, who is this 'wog' and what is his grog?
The 'wog' is Roberto Dessanti. And his love affair with good grog goes way back.
Roberto (or Robert, or Rob, depending on who is addressing him and on what hemisphere he is on) and his passion for good food and wine emerged from
an early age.
Australian born, Roberto is strongly influenced by his Italian born
parents and their heritage (from the regions of Piemonte and Friuli), and has
now made sharing this passion for fine wine with connoisseurs and novices his
life’s work through the wholesale and distribution company he founded six years
ago called Euro Concepts.
From this,
two years ago he founded the consumer-focused company he named ‘The Wog With The Grog’, coined from
friendly jibes from fellow wine buffs who’d remark: “Here comes the wog with the grog!”
As we now know, the word ‘wog’
has evolved into a term of endearment for Australians with an (usually
European) overseas heritage. At each show he exhibits, the cheeky moniker
has a favourable reaction, with crowds drawn to its humour and obvious element
of fun.
Since the age of eighteen, Roberto has travelled
regularly to Italy, especially to his parents’ ancestral region of Piemonte in
Italy’s north, learning the secrets of what constitutes good food and wine.
This region is famous for it, and Roberto now tries to capture that with each
product he handpicks to bring back home to Australia for fellow Australians to
enjoy. As a young adult, Roberto regularly travelled to the
Trieste region each year, as part of ‘Young Giuliani’, where groups of eager young
adults travelled to their grandparents’ and parents’ birthplace. It was here
they were immersed in culture and history of the region, learning the Italian art
of ‘la dolce vita’.
In 2004, Roberto (now 41) took the
opportunity to study at the prestigious International School of Management in
Trieste, and has since successfully assisted Italian companies to export their
product around the world. From this, Roberto founded Euro Concepts Sydney, a
premium wine and food importer and distributor, making its mark on the food and
beverage scene since 2009.
Roberto’s
background has also seen him work across all aspects of hospitality, from five
star hotels, to ‘mum and dad’ style operations, getting to know the industry so
well he is sought to consult establishments regularly, tapping into his
managerial and international experience. Like any bona fide Italophile, Roberto
carries with him the knowledge gained as a youngster atop a stool watching
nonna and mamma cook, and has married that with formal training acquired in
hospitality studies, from being at the ‘frontline’ on a kitchen floor and
behind the scenes of a restaurant operation.
Back to the wine! The personality of each wine Roberto
chooses is linked to its country of origin, its climate, and to the care taken
in harvesting and creating it, and the personality of the wine maker. That
quality he seeks out for each product is not an abstract concept for Roberto, but
a truly tangible thing, and he displays that by choosing the right wines to
pass on to the consumer. Passion, tradition, quality and innovation are the
foundation of Roberto’s beliefs, which is demonstrated in all the products he
represents.
Each wine chosen by Roberto also demonstrates
his understanding of what works in the Australian market, and taps into his accounting
background and his early education in hospitality and tourism.
For Roberto, his approach to choosing each
wine must meet his criteria in paying homage to the winemaker, and telling the
story of their culture and heritage. When it comes to selling these wines to
the everyday consumer via The Wog With The Grog, Roberto’s belief is to source
superior products and on-sell them to the wine aficionado at a fair price,
rather than source inferior product and mark it up unfairly.
Says Roberto: “I see what our
competitors do because I am out there buying for them, too. The consumer
accessing what we sell at The Wog With The Grog gets the best possible product,
with a colourful backstory, at an exceptional price.”
This is why The Wog With The Grog is destined for big things in the
Australian alcohol world.
Stay tuned!
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