Nude women promo for wines of the Friuli region: VIDEO

A cheeky new campaign has been released as a promotion for wines of the Friuli region… in Russia.

Four women. Nude. In vineyards.

Controversial, or simply artistic expression? You decide.

Says the YouTube description:

La Simple importante distributore di vini friulani in Russia ha commissionato un video per la promozione dei vini frilani alquanto "originale".

Read more here.

Good Food and Wine Show 2015: The Wog With The Grog Wrap Up - PHOTOS

Did you come along to the Good Food and Wine Show in Melbourne recently?

What did you think?

The Wog With The Grog was there, and we loved meeting all the serious wine and grappa and bubbles lovers who came along to our stand for a drink and a chat, and snapped up some good drops, exclusive to The Wog With The Grog, and Euro Concepts. We also had some fantastic foodie products, exclusive to us. You can check them all out right here.

Here are some of our fave Instagram snaps from the show (from the show, and from our food sampling in Melbourne - we LOVE the food there!)

Next, we are at the Sydney show in August, then the Brisbane show in October. See details below.

For more on the upcoming show dates, click here. 


To find out more about the Sydney event, click here.

To find out more about the Brisbane event, click here.

The Wog With The Grog at Good Food and Wine Show Melbourne, 2015

The Melbourne leg of the 'Good Food and Wine Show' kicks off in June - on June 5 to June 8 - and it's set to be a fantastic event.

Oh, and The Wog With The Grog is set to be there for the first time.

Come see us at stand E21!

The Wog With The Grog has exhibited at other GFAW shows in Sydney.

Says Robert Dessanti from The Wog With The Grog about his excitement in joining the renowned expo in the city of Melbourne: "Melbourne is the most European of the Australian cities. It's somewhat like Italy in that its focus is on good food, art, and fashion. It is an innovative and creative city, engaged with the world, and is home to more than four million people speaking around 180 different languages."

We are launching the Nardini Acqua di Cedro 350ml versions of the hugely popular Italian drink.

It's a drink that has to be trialed to be believed - come by and we'll give you a sample to savour.

You can also win TWO DOUBLE PASSES to the Melbourne show!

Go to our Instagram page here, and see the competition here to enter.

Nonna Paola Says Thanks To The Wog With The Grog: VIDEO

Nonna Paola is the very funny, completely unique Italo-Australian viral sensation taking over the internet right now.

The thing is, Nonna Paola IS unique, but because so many people can relate to her, she feels incredibly familiar to us all, whether we have a Nonna like her, or not. Whether we're Italian, Australian, or another nationality.

Here, she gives The Wog With The Grog founder Robert Dessanti a big shout out, to thank Rob sending across some exceptional wines for her and her son Greg (he's the man behind the camera, recording his mother for all the world to see) to enjoy. It was a pleasure, and drinking them with castagne (chestnuts) - even better!

Best bit: Nonna Paola attempting to say 'The Wog With The Grog', but saying "The Wog With The Frog". We love you, Nonna. Hope you enjoyed the drop, many times over!

Here is the video:

Nardini: Exclusive To The Wog With The Grog

The Nardini drop is something to behold and savour. And it's rare - but readily available - gem imported by... guess who?

Yes, it's available through the brand behind this site, The Wog With The Grog.

Some history behind the brand:

The Nardini family is a symbol of Grappa’s history in Italy. From Bassano del grappa (in the heart of Veneto) the tradition of finest grappa making takes place in 1779. Their rigorous quality control - from local vine to bottle - ensures Nardini grappas are not only excellent, but also completely consistent year after year.

The range includes:

Grappa Bianca
Grappa Riserva 3 yrs
Grappa Riserva 15 yrs
Grappa di Ruta

Imported by Euro Concepts and also sold through parent consumer company The Wog With The Grog, you can call:

T: 1300 104 060 or email info@euroconceptssydney.com.au or see: www.euroconceptssydney.com.au

Call or email us to order.

Here is a look at the range:

And some more beautiful images of the bottles in the range:

And the absolutely delicious, must try to believe it Acqua Di Cedro: 

In the next blog post, we will talk about the distillation process of this highly coveted brand.

Majolini: The Wog With The Grog - sole Australian importer

The Wog With The Grog is the sole importer of an Italian gem of a sparkling wine brand 'Majolini'. 

Wine and food editors will have the rare opportunity to sample specially selected world class sparkling wines from the Majolini brand, the distinguished wine company which hails from the northern Italian region of Franciacorta, Lombardia, when the owner Simone Maiolini comes to Australia for the first time, to celebrate the launch of the new ‘M Series’ Majolini sparkling wine.

The event will be northern Italian food and wine heaven, as delicious food will match Majolini sparkling wines, prepared by Alessandro Pavoni and his team at the famed hatted restaurant Ormeggio at The Spit.

Here are the beautiful headquarters of the Majolini vineyards in Italy:

Alessandro’s restaurant is the only one in Australia that serves this magical drop, and Roberto is the sole importer of the brand, with more excitement now gathering around the new addition to the Majolini range, the ‘M Series.’

More about the Majolini brand (their logo is below):

The ancestry of the brand can be traced back to when the family arrived in the Italian region of Ome in the fifteenth century, and their passion for viticulture was born almost immediately. The name ‘Majolini’ was borne from the Maiolini surname and a local grape variety called the ‘majolina’, and the legend of the brand was created.

Since 1981, the brand’s goal has been to expand their vineyard’s potential, to protect and increase the extent of the vineyard, and to optimise their winemaking procedures while respecting the tradition of the art.

The north-eastern area of the Franciacorta region where Majolini hails from is made up of layers of pure white limestone (known as ‘medolo’), giving minerals and structure to the wines produced there. Of uppermost importance is that Majolini wines are created with skillful care and always respecting the land and its traditions.

The hashtags for the day are will be #Majolini #EuroConcepts #TheWogWithTheGrog #Ormeggio #LombardiaWineAndFood so stay tuned for the social media conversation in coming weeks.

Who IS 'The Wog With The Grog'?

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!