Bougie Belinda and her vines - BLOG
WELCOME to Bougie Belinda's blogs
You may be asking yourself...Why am I starting a wine blog when there are literally thousands out there already? I decided 5 years ago that life is too short to spend my precious time on this earth to work at something I did not love. Since finding, trying, and sharing new wines has been my passion for the last 35 years, I decided to embark on a new career. Thank goodness, my dear husband Jim came along for the ride by providing great food to accompany the wine, and Flight Plan Wine and Tapas was born. After almost 4 years in business, our full bar and restaurant has made its mark on the Huntsville scene. So now seems a good time to write and share with you my wine journey and what I am still learning every day, hoping that you will come along with me! Let's Take Flight.
Blog #6: Toes in the sand and wine in my hand…
Wines perfect for the beach: Part 2
My favorite place in the world is on the beach. I’ve always felt at home there, even as a small child. Childhood memories of sleeping on the beach, waking up to the sound of the waves is forever embedded in my memories. As an adult, the beach experience is even better with a beautiful glass of cold white wine in my hand. I’d like to share my top picks for beach time:
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine is one of my favorite French white wines. Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine is made solely from...
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Blog #5: What's wrong with my wine? It smells like cat pee! Let's discuss six uninviting wine terms.
Belinda
If you were to buy a wine aroma kit to try and become familiar with many of the aromas associated with wine, there might be up to 88 different aromas represented! Part of the allure of wine is that it possesses such a wide range of aromas and flavors. These various aromas and flavors are the result of differences in chemical compounds produced from the ”terroir” (a combination of soil and climate that affect the wine’s character), the point of harvesting, the wine-making techniques, and the aging process (length of aging type and the type of vessel used to age the wine), etc.,...
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Blog #4: Hoorah for Syrah!
Belinda
There is an old saying “Variety is the spice of life.” My life is a testament to that! I have had seven job changes in five states and met many interesting people along the way. I love looking for the next adventure or the next new experience. That is why I enjoy wine tasting so very much. There seems to be no end to the range of aromas and tastes in wines produced around the world. And that is why I am such a fan of Syrah, or Shiraz, the name of this variety depending on where this variety is grown.
My favorite shiraz, made by the Mollydooker winery, is a lovely and bold wine called...
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Blog #3: GSM wines- are you a Rhone Ranger?
Belinda
Do you love the smell of bacon? Then a GSM wine is for you and you may be a Rhone Ranger!
When Chef Jim and I were in our thirties (yes, I can remember some of those days), we enjoyed red wine but rarely ventured away from the traditional varietals of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. That was until Pastor Kern, aka “PK”, entered our lives. Our pastor was quite a wine enthusiast, having a 300-bottle collection and loved sharing his wine. Pastor Kern, in turn, introduced us to a wine distributor named Oliver, a Frenchman with a wonderful accent that mesmerized me when he spoke of...
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Blog #2: The Perfect Beach Wine
Belinda
I’m always amazed by the feeling one gets when walking alone on the Alabama beach in perfect weather. Chef Jim and I met our good friends Melanie and JJ for a three day get-away to Orange beach. The drink of choice for many touristas is usually not wine, but I have to say if wine is your thing (and it must be because you are reading my blog), the most perfect beach wine in my opinion must be wine from Muscadet Sèvre et Maine. This wine pairs with seafood like a good cab and a juicy steak.
So let me tell you where it hails from:
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine is one of France’s...
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