If you call yourself a wino and you’ve never been to Le Rouge before, do yourself a favor and go.

Upon strolling in last Thursday, I was greeted by a warm and friendly man named Patrice Petit, the owner and head chef of Le Rouge. The atmosphere was very classy, yet welcoming, and not too crowded as we made our way past the grand piano towards, the lounge.

Throughout the course of the night, we tried four red wines and three whites, almost all of which were crafted by Maison la Belle Vie Winery in Palisade. Every single wine we tried was delicious.

My personal favorite was their single varietal Syrah 2011. The darkest one we sampled by far, it is full-bodied with a hint of “musty eucalyptus,” as Jack Bryan put it.

Two of the reds were both full-bodied but completely different – la Belle Vie’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and Merlot 2011. The Cabernet is a true-to-form Cab with a fruit finish, best paired with beef or robust sauces. The Merlot is earthy, musty and a bit drier and would be great with fish and lighter meats.

The best white wine by far was the Muscat 2011, also made by Maison la Belle Vie. At nine percent, it is significantly lower in alcohol percentage than everything else we tried and has mellow sweetness to it — think lemon and honey.

If you’re in for a relaxing night out with a nice glass of wine, the restaurant and piano bar is located on 3rd and Main Street in downtown Grand Junction. Glasses of wine are also half-price from 4-6 p.m.

arildefonso@mavs.coloradomesa.edu