In The Bottle with Angelica Nohra!

What are Noble Grapes? There are 18 red and white noble grapes (listed below) that define the complete range of wine flavors –from clear, zesty white to deep dark red wine. They are listed lightest to richest. Red Noble Grapes Pinot Noir Grenache Merlot Sangiovese Nebbiolo Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah/Shiraz Malbec White Noble Grapes Pinot Grigio Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc Moscato Gewurtztraminar Semillon Viognier Chardonnay All other varieties are similar to the ones above. We want to know, how many have you tried from this list? How many are you going to go out and try now?

It is very rare that I write a blog about a restaurant or bar that I visit as I usually prefer to leave that to the restaurant reviewers. However, I visited a wine bar/bottleshop a couple of weeks ago that has just inspired me to write. It is also very rare that I frequent the Sutherland Shire of Sydney. By chance, I ended up at Westfield Miranda and met Paul at Beyond The Label when I found myself down the end near Woolworths. Westfield Miranda has gone through a remarkable transformation since the last time I was there and I...

I have to admit something….when I told a lot of my wine colleagues I was doing the Gold Coast Food and Wine Expo, they scoffed and told me it would be a complete waste of time… Well, when they ask how I went, I’ll tell them to stay away because the show was amazing based on the fact there weren’t a huge amount of wineries. What does that mean for us? Well, less competition. Yes, there were 4 different Italian Wine stands but that didn’t deter us from having a fantastic 3 days. The one thing I have to say...

Happy 2015! My sincere apologies for the lack of content of late. It's embarrassing to say but after a system reboot, I lost the password to this blog and it took me some time to get it back. But we are back, which is the main thing. Over the holidays, as most people do, I indulged. Not just in food. I indulged in Wine. Within 3 days, I consumed 8 bottles of bubbles & 2 bottles of white wine...basically on my own. I'm not proud of this but it was an interesting experience. It is an experience I'd like to...

As a wine seller, we do a lot of shows around town. This allows the consumer to taste the wine before they buy and it helps us see whats popular, whats not a big seller, what is trending, what needs more of a push...its all about consumer insight. when you are doing these shows, we need all sorts. We meet people who only drink Moscato (not that there is anything wrong with that), people that refuse to drink anything other than Malborough Sauvy B (there is something a little wrong with that), people who are just learning to people who...

Is my wine CORKED? This is the most common wine fault (well, not with stelvin caps, just wines with corks in them) Trichloranisole or TCA can make a wine smell musty and mouldy. There will be no fruit on the nose at all when a wine is corked. Help! There is mould on top of my cork! - Don't worry, that is probably a bit of ullage, it shouldn't affect the wine. If you have pieces of cork floating in the wine, don't stress, its probably just a sign that you opened the bottle incorrectly! If your wine has a...

Wow, what a weekend in Brisbane!! Qlders sure know how to come out and get on the drink. We always have a good show but this one blew our mind! The Calappiano Prosecco Brut seemed to be the big hit. What am I saying “seemed”? ugh…it WAS the big hit. We actually SOLD OUT of it by Friday afternoon!! We ended up taking about 6 bottles and hiding them for people to try it the next day. Let’s play a game. It’s called Spot the Difference! The first shot was taken before the show started. That handsome devil is Scott,...

Have you ever heard the terms "Fruit driven?" Did you know when you hear a wine is 'fruity', it is exhibiting what we call, Primary Notes. Have you heard someone say a wine is "nutty" or "biscuity?" Well, that wine is exhibiting what we call Secondary aromas. Then there are people that speak of wines that are "leathery", "oaky", "vegetal". What does that mean? Well, that is Tertiary Notes. When a wine exhibits a high level of Primary fruit characters, it is youthful. If those characters are starting to disappear, usually it suggests a wine is in the developing stage...