I developed my knowledge of viticulture from a very young age assisting my father, Alessandro Fonseca each summer during harvest on our family vineyard in Chianti, Petreto. Together, we experimented with several different varieties cultivating a lifelong love for wine and winemaking. I presented his wines at various wine exhibitions throughout Northern Italy where they were well received and enjoyed. Petreto is regarded among the best white wine producers in Tuscany, a soil usually gifted for reds, and where very few dare cultivating white wine varietals.

-Piero

Wine wasn’t always Piero’s intended career direction, as he graduated from the University of Florence in 2012 with a Master’s degree in Criminal Law. While he will not become the next Harvey Specter the studies have taught him personal discipline and have provided him with many transferable life skills. Through the years at University Piero’s passion for wines continued to flourish as he used to spare time to broaden his knowledge attending master classes, wine tastings and also spent the summer of 2006 working in the wine industry in the UK.

Since arriving in Australia, his passion for wine and the hospitality industry continued to grow where he held various roles as Head Sommelier and was involved in restaurant management. It was here that he had the opportunity to complete WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) 2 and 3 which further strengthened his knowledge.

Piero joined Lario in 2017, a leading fine food and wine importer based in Sydney. After 4 intense years of success, expansion and learning, it was time to bring Lario’s wines under his own wing. Supported by Gianmarco Balestrini, who launched Lario in the early 2000s, Piero has put together a team of experts including Halkin Ventures General Manager, Bailey Myers to help achieve his vision of providing access to the finest quality wines and a truly authentic experience.