In the warm spring air of the north Italian town of Parma, Andrew Roberts, of the former Multiplex empire, found himself quaffing a glass of red with the family of one of Italy's largest construction companies, Impresa Pizzarotti.

Patriarch Paolo Pizzarotti had brought the bottle from his personal vineyard to accompany the traditional Italian cuisine served at Parizzi, the Michelin-star restaurant where the two were meeting to discuss the possibility of a new construction company in Australia.