Mr Barval Fine Wines

Robert Gherardi was born with wine in his blood. As a small boy he’d go to Margaret River to pick grapes with 3 generations of his extended Italian family. Nonetheless, his first degree was in marine science and biotechnology; while completing the course he worked in an independent wine store in Perth. Having tasted his way around the world in the bottle, at age 25 he enrolled in the full oenology and viticulture degree. This led to employment at Moss Wood for 4 years, then Brown Hill Estate as assistant winemaker and finally to Cullen for 3 years. Vanya Cullen encouraged him to travel to Barolo and work with Elio Altare. This included moving to Barolo with his wife and children to experience 4 full seasons of viticulture and winemaking. He returns to Italy each year for his boutique travel business, with customised tours of Barolo, Valtellina and further north. -JAMES HALLIDAY