Welterweight, the Speck brothers, and a wine the Deacon loves...to avoid!

Greetings Moisture Missiles! Yes, it's happening...your humble Deacon is losing pork-fat and is currently down 14 lbs to a sensible 169, which all you UFC fans know, is Welterweight again. Once I hit 160 or lower, I'll be posting the pictorial evidence on this blog, which I know gives y'all something to look forward to...But before I get into the meat of this posting, let's jointly enjoy our usual stream of consciousness rant:

Homeys and Homettes, your Deacon lubs you! But the rest of you para-tetramitus infected Colour Vassals (including the "woman" who walked in front of my car on Gervais Drive the other day because she (like many of you) was thumbing an electronic device and unaware that I could have done a punitive and illustrative drive-by shooting, to raise social awareness of the sheer number of semi-suicidal electronically addicted shidiots out there) I shout a warm and resounding Bite it...Bite it now...Bite it well!

And so it all commences...and as I dip virtual quill to quasi-inkwell, I assuage my feverish brain with the dulcet tones of The Sixteen as the micro-cathedral that is Fresh Manor, resonates to its very triforia and clerestory with the finest polyphony that William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons ever put to parchment...

But let's talk about wine...I recently had a dismal experience with Full Press Cabernet Sauvignon, despite its pleasantly proletariat inspired label that was almost Luddite in its imagery. I don't like to slag any wine that actually contains alcohol, but I found this blend of International and Canadian wines to be structureless and disappointing. I poured it out rather than return it. Let's just say it provides all the proof anyone ever needs to stick with VQA wines, rather than experimenting with some of these jank rooster-juice variants. To be fair, I haven't tried their other wines, but based on their Cab Sauv, I'm not likely to.

But fortunately, the Speck brothers rescued me. As anyone who is able to read knows, your humble Deacon is a great fan of Henry of Pelham wines. I think they do the best effing Baco Noir on the planet, and produce consistently flavourful and quality wines. Anyway, after their success with Sibling Rivalry (which I still gotta write up) the Specks have gone on to create two new offerings: White House and Red House. Now anyone who reads the excellent print magazine, City Bites, put out by Dick "Richard" Snyder, knows your Deacon has "issues" and "concerns" not to mention "profound irritation" at the whole house wine thing. But I'm talking about something else entirely here. The Specks have put out a couple of real winners that are gonna jump off the shelves. The Deaconess and I had a bottle of the Red House with an organic steak a few nights back. I must say, the edgy label really caught my eye, and at first I thought it was referring to the Red Hat House at Angola Prison where they fry recidivists in the electric chair, which seemed an unusual choice for a VQA wine...

But I digress...The wine was really, really lurch. The best word I can use to describe it is approachable. It's a very friendly wine, and neither wiped out the steak with too much fruity sweetness, nor disappeared under the spices I used. The Specks have clearly designed a wine you can grab and go, whether to a barbecue or something a little more regal, and your friends and family will love it. They've created a wine you shouldn't think about too much. It's not a Premier Cru Bordeaux, but it doesn't pretend to be. Made from real Ontario Shiraz and Cab Sauv, it's a good, solid everyday wine, and it's a bargain at $12.95! Grab a bottle or two and tell me I'm wrong.

So last night I was cooking Angus sliders and Kofta and decided to try the White House before dinner. Well surprise, surprise, surprise! It was just as good as the red. From the first sip, the Deaconess raised her eyebrows and said "I really like this!" I concurred. It's a Riesling-Pinot Grigio blend that hits all the right notes; both refreshing and peachy and very, very drinkable. We finished the bottle before the food arrived. You can serve this delicious wine before dinner or on the patio on a warm afternoon, because its 12% alcohol won't knock you out in the heat. Also priced at $12.95 a bottle, you can grab a case of this ambrosia without breaking the bank, and if you show up with a bottle of Red House and White House at a Friend's House, you'll be the hit of the evening.

Kudos to the Speck brothers. You never let us down.

Deacon Dr. Fresh

The Viscount of VQA