CHEERS TO THAT - TIM ROBARDS
Australia’s most famous bachelor, Tim Robards, has fallen in love with the romance of winemaking.
The key partnership in his life, besides his magnetic wife, Anna, is with Shun Eto - the co-founder of the award-winning wine brand, Elle Rosé.
Named after Tim and Anna’s eldest daughter, Elle, this pretty, light rosé has already won gold at the prestigious Australian and New Zealand Boutique Awards. Even more impressive, it was included in a blind tasting of 100 wines, and this was only the first time it was put to the palette.
Now in its second vintage of just 8,000 bottles, it’s ready to take on even the most expensive rosé in the market.
“The goal is to make the best rosé wine in Australia,” a proud Robards tells Australian Life.
His collaboration with the highly regarded wine connoisseur and winemaker, Shun Eto of VinoEd, started during lockdown, when he took part in one of Eto’s curated Zoom wine experiences. Later, the pair toyed with the idea of starting their own wine label.
The light bulb moment came when Robards’ eldest daughter, Elle, was born.
‘At that time I was playing a big wine mogul, Pierce Greyson, on Neighbours and the idea just popped into my head,” he explains.
He and Eto then joined forces with one of Australia’s best winemakers, Alex McKay of Collector Wines, who is based at the Hilltops wine region of New South Wales.
“We wanted to take it slowly with just 1,000 bottles in our first year before increasing to 8,000 bottles and next year it will increase again,” he says.
Robards believes that what makes Elle Rosé such a standout in its class is partly the aroma.
“It’s the Australian florals on the nose, the perfume of it,” he explains “It’s still a dry rosé but people may perceive it as sweet because it has the floral aromatics.”
Currently available online and at specialist wine retailers, it’s also on the wine lists of some of Australia’s most stellar restaurants for further exclusivity.
Tim Robards has always taken a scholarly approach to everything that he takes on, delving into each area and learning as much as he can about it.
So, it is with his acting career, and life as a chiropractor, which are his day jobs, along with being a high-profile influencer. By his own admission, he’s spent a fortune on acting lessons, and it seems to have paid off. This year he has scored a major film role on the Gold Coast, but he’s not ready to disclose any details about that yet before the official announcement.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey.
‘Last year was really tough,” he admits.“I went eight months without an audition. Then I was down to one of the final two for a couple of big roles, but both times it went to the other guy.”
Still, there was plenty to keep him occupied with the birth of his second daughter, Ruby, as well as giving Anna his support as she runs her business Intu Wellness - the collagen powder supplement, that has already been featured on the front cover of Australian Life.
This month, the family will take some well-deserved time out with a short break at the luxe Hayman Island Resort, which will coincide with Valentine’s Day.
“We’re hoping to get a babysitter for a special night out,” he says.
The Queensland resort will be the perfect setting to celebrate each other and all they’ve achieved so far. No doubtafine bottle of luscious Elle Rosé will crown the occasion. Cheers to that.
ANNA ROBARDS
She shot to fame on the inaugural season of The Bachelor, where she met Tim, but now Anna Robards is a high-flying Aussie businesswoman with her own wellness brand. Just a few weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, the high-profile influencer is preparing to take her product globally after signing with Mecca in Australia and launching their wellness category.
