Perhaps you think that Houston doesn’t really need another new wine bar. But when it’s located in the hot new West Ave development, when the service staff are young and attractive, and when the place is as gorgeous as Cru, we welcome it with open arms.

It’s located next to the Indian hot spot Pondicheri, and to look through the windows is to want to go in. The lighting is perfection: a slow glowing simmer of dimmed yellow that makes everything and everyone look attractive. I love the movement of flickering candles against the back wall, the wrought iron chandeliers, the somewhat gothic accents complemented by dark wood tables and paneling.

It’s about 9 pm on a Saturday night, and inside we grab a seat at the packed bar where couples are noshing on pizza and engaged in conversation over glasses of wine. A fresh-faced blonde bartender goes over the various flights of wines we can try. The menu, which is organized by three-wine flights with catchy names like “Royal Riesling” ($11) and “Bubble Bath” ($21), makes the decision easy. I go for the Riesling wine flight and my friend goes for some bubbly.

The wine-flight pours are smaller than the full glass pours, but they’re more fun and more of a bargain. For instance, my Dr. Pauly-Berweiler Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett 08 from Mosel, Germany, is regularly $11 by the glass or $42 for the bottle. My friend’s Champagne, like the standout Deutz Brut Classic from Champagne, France, is $22 by the glass and $85 by the bottle.

“We’ve just been open for a little over a month,” our bartender tells us when we inquire about the opening. “On the weekends, and when we get parties, it gets pretty busy.” Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, a large party of 10 arrives. While it’s somewhat of a place to see and be seen, the patrons here – attractive 20- to 40-somethings – seem more focused on each other than what’s going on around them. The atmosphere becomes a bit more lively and louder with the large group, but not overly so. I like that I can still have an easy conversation with my friend without raising my voice.

We weren’t hungry on this particular night, having already eaten dinner prior to stopping by, but I appreciated the simple bar menu that included charcuterie plates, cheeses, pizza and simple fare designed to complement the wine-drinking experience. “You need to come back and try our pizza,” the bartender told us. Definitely, I thought, intent on returning with some girlfriends.

Cru is currently running a few notable specials. Monday nights in August, they are providing free pizza when you order drinks. Thursday nights are ladies’ nights, and they’re giving ladies half off full Champagne bottles. Weekdays from 4 to7 pm they have happy hour food specials starting at just $3, while wines by the glass and wine flights are $3 off. What a perfect excuse to indulge in pre-dinner libations on a date night or with friends.

CRU, 2800 Kirby in West Ave., 713-528-9463