Beringer - Cabernet Sauvignon @@@ (3 corks)

Retails: $7.99 ($11.99/1.5 Litre -- Publix)

Beringer's Cabernet Sauvignon has an earthy, seductive quality. The flavors drift from your palate up unto your nostrils inducing a gorgeous, tranquil haze. As each second passes, the aromas shift from earth to tart cherries to leather and back to earth---quite the metaphor for the month of August, I'd call it the perfect glass for the season.

I wake up early every morning to walk the dog, stealing a luxurious ten minutes to myself while my fiance and the kids bang out the usual morning routine, get-up-get-dressed-eat-brush-teeth-make-beds-tie-shoes. There's a scent in the air this time of year that even the dog can smell. It's hidden behind cloaks of warm, humid weather, but still present---a delicate strand of crisp, cool air, indicative that fall is near. Those who claim that Florida is a season-less state fail to notice the beautiful subtleties of our changing seasons.

August has always held a certain air of melancholy. Summers of my childhood were spent squeezing every last drop of summertime we could in Maine's too short season. No meal was spent inside unless weather forbade, days were spent by the pool or beach. Nights were spent avoiding mosquito bites, taking long drives down winding roads with the windows down, and the smell of the sea wafting in. You see, a Maine summer is always a summer lover --- there for a season and gone as soon as August rolled around. Our seasons end abruptly, and winter is unforgiving and especially long by comparison.

August always carried with it a certain amount of tragedy. This past August was no different, but to appreciate the eclipse from one season to the next, paying attention to the subtle cues around you help bring perspective to the time that lies ahead. For me, it's (step)motherhood, for you it's...

(a decent glass of wine?)