The year always begins again for me in September. Initially, it was the start of a new school year. While I continue to study and have all my life, September now also represents harvest and the beginning of a different season for work. My son is also a September baby so that ties into my feeling that the year begins this month. That said, as a New Yorker, the year never really gets going for me until after September 11 – a day of reflection and remembrance.

On the wine front, in addition to all important harvest time, September also brings the start – sometimes – of colder weather and a desire to drink bigger red wines. This summer, I was lucky enough to spend a month in Italy, a couple of weeks on Cape Cod and attend a wine conference in DC. I have much to write about and be thankful for as the new “year” rolls around. I also have much catching up to do in terms of writing. I’ve tried in the past to write everyday of the month on this blog with some modicum of success yet my plans always go awry when I make big pronouncements so I think I will try another tack and chart my course according to the prevailing winds. Let’s see if that is an easier way to go.

Today, I want to mention a wine that graced my table this past month, Destello from Penedes in Spain which is a private label brand from Opici. Destello Cava is produced using the traditional method in which the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. It ages in the bottle for 18 months before release. Made from a blend of 50% Trepat, 30% Monastrell and 20% Garnacha, it was a great match for seafood and pasta as well as an aperitif. It was also incredibly inexpensive at $12. I first tasted a wine made from Trepat in 2010. It’s a grape I find interesting and refreshing. I love Cava in general and the Cavas Roses in particular. Like much of the world, I was slow to the Rose game but this summer, have made up for my lack luster Rose years with a vengance and tried Roses, Rosados, Rosatos from all over the world with much to recommend them. I look forward to drinking more this fall but also to getting into some great reds.

World of the day: Destello – flash, sparkle, twinkle