Idle Hour Winery

Idle Hour Winery, formerly Panoche Valley Vineyards is the creation of winemaker Anna Marie dos Remedios. She began making wine as a hobby to relieve the stress of her day job as a newspaper journalist/business owner. After studying traditional winemaking methods at UC Davis and at Calera Wine Company, Anna Marie founded her own winery, focusing on three traditional methods in particular: native yeast fermentation, gravity flow racking and the use of neutral French Oak. These methods applied to her fermentation allow each wine to show a distinct taste of the terroir from which it originates.

Anna Marie partnered with Deb Payne and together, they decided to relocate the winery to Oakhurst, making Idle Hour Winery the first winery in this small town, which is just outside the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. They also own and operate the Queen’s Inn by the River, a happily situated 8-room inn and wine bar & beer garden located on the same property as Idle Hour Winery.

The current releases at Idle Hour Winery include single vineyard designated Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo and Petite Sirah. They are also producing Rhone varieties from other vineyards: Marsanne from Madera County, Cabernet Sauvignon from Mariposa County, Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands on the Central Coast, Cabernet Franc from Lodi and Tempranillo from Clarksburg on the Sacramento Delta. Idle Hour Winery welcomes visitors to come taste these handcrafted wines.