Rock, Paper, Scissors

I've had my eye out for Roshambo wines ever since I starting reading Sonadora's blog, Wannabe Wino. She's a big fan of Roshambo wines, and her enthusiasm for the label was infectious. I looked high and low and finally found a Roshambo wine to try in a small independent grocery store here on the coast in Anchor Bay.

It's fortuitous that at a time when everyone is talking about inexpensive chardonnay, the 2004 Roshambo Rock, Paper, Scissors Chardonnay ($10 direct from winery; available from other merchants for between $12 and $16) was so good. Add it to your list, if you can't get your hands on Mr. Shaw's wine. One thing, though: if you serve this wine too cold, it's not a good thing. You will smell and taste almost nothing but something like wet stones. Once it warms up to proper serving temp, however, you will be rewarded with aromas and flavors of apples, hay, and a rich touch of creme brulee. I think this wine saw some oak, but it was very lightly done if it did (I couldn't find out anything about the making of this wine on the website or at any other site). Here any oak gives the wine richness, not woodiness. Excellent QPR for a wine that was very well done if not terribly complex. And believe me, for bargain chardonnay, you could do a LOT worse.

With your wine, how about a fabulous summer salad, like this chicken and bulgur salad? It was zesty and creamy with a citrus dressing, the toasted taste of bulgur wheat, and chunks of rich avocado. It's a great main-dish salad for this time of year, since it takes almost no time to cook and if you have leftover chicken nothing to cook at all (well, you have to boil water).

Enjoy the weekend!