The Red Rose Café in Palisade, Colorado only carries wines from local wineries. Twenty-seven wines from wineries in the Grand Valley are represented in this Italian, Vietnamese and American Cuisine restaurant. Tom and Rose Casabona operate this family restaurant. According to Rose, “We want to support the local wineries.” They also support the local agriculture in the area purchasing much of the food locally. A visitor can really experience the “taste the place.”

This was my second time I’ve eaten at the café and both times I decided to go with one of the daily specials. I ordered swordfish and with it I decided to pair the DeBeque Canyon Winery’s Claret. The Claret was a blend of 49 percent Merlot, 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 percent Malbec, 4 percent Cabernet Franc and 3 percent Petit Verdot. The color was a deep reddish purple. The taste was fruity, lingering on the finish. The tannins were mild. Even though I had swordfish, I like red wines with dinner. The wine and fish matched nicely.

I believe it is important to point out that not all Colorado restaurants offer local wines made with Colorado grapes. One restaurateur, who carries some local wines, admitted that the wineries need to approach him about their wines. I’ve also heard that the reason a restaurant doesn’t carry local wines is that their customers want something that they are familiar with, i.e. wines from California. I think the American palate is changing though, and people are willing to try wines from the region. The excuse of drink familiar rather than drink local is somewhat misguided in this day and age. What do you think?