Exciting time of year at Idle Hour Winery

Local winery has reputation for quality, handcrafted wines

(Updated: Thursday, October 15, 2009, 11:36 AM)

It's an exciting time of year for wineries throughout Madera County, including Idle Hour Winery in Oakhurst.

Grapes are being crushed, 60-gallon French oak wine barrels are being filled and winemakers are already anxiously optimistic about the quality of their finished product.

Idle Hour is not only the newest winery in the county, it is the only winery in Oakhurst. The winery is part of the Queen's Inn by the River, a quaint eight-room inn and wine bar on the Fresno River, owned and operated by Anna Marie dos Remedios and Deb Payne.

In 1964, Nelson and Naomi "Queen" Ashby, Payne's beloved grandmother, purchased the property and old motor lodge, Cedar Lane Lodge, which was built in the early '50s. Payne took over the property in 2005 and helped with a complete renovation, including the artistic re-decoration of the eight sleeping rooms, which now include flat-screen televisions and high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access.

"The new name was chosen to honor Naomi, who, not to be called Grandma, would only answer to 'Queen,'" Payne said. "In her memory, we established Queen's Inn by the River."

The name of the winery, Idle Hour, is attributed to Remedios' Portuguese grandfather, Augusto Henrique dos Remedios. Born in Hong Kong, Remedios spent weekends on her grandfather's sailing ship, the "Idle Hour."

Remedios is the winemaker and Payne is the assistant winemaker and it doesn't take one long to understand their passion and enthusiasm for what they do.

"The crush is exciting," Remedios said. Idle Hour wines are handcrafted and produced in small lots. "We use sustainably grown grapes and make our wine gently, using native yeasts, gravity flow and other traditional methods."

The local winemakers like to use barrels that are a minimum of three years old, so their wine does not pick up the oak flavor.

"We want just the natural characteristics of the grape varieties to show, without a heavy oak influence," said Remedios.

This season, Idle Hour is producing Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne from Madera County grapes. The winemakers are also producing Cabernet Sauvignon from Mariposa grapes, Pinot Noir with Central Coast grapes and Tempranillo with Sacramento Delta grapes.

"We have been out finding the most beautiful fruit in the state and are using a lot of grapes from our local area including the Love Ranch in Coarsegold and the Sturm Gardner Ranch in Mariposa," said Remedios.

Remedios and Payne are quick to point out they have a favorite -- Cabernet Franc, with grapes from Lodi's Silvaspoons Vineyard. And to make sure they have plenty of the variety, they are currently processing three tons of grapes, which will produce 150 cases of the popular wine.

"We absolutely love this wine," said Payne. "It is 100% Cabernet Franc with pepper and spice along with fruit and smooth tannins."

Tannins, a term commonly used in wine circles, are important in the wine-making process because they are vital for red wine character, quality and structure. According to Remedios, grapes start as small, green and extremely bitter fruit through a combination of high acidity and aggressive tannins. At the right time, the grape changes color, acidity diminishes, sugar increases and the bitter tannins soften.

Remedios and Payne work closely with the individual grape growers, allowing them to harvest the grapes when the ripe fruit achieves the optimum balance in acid and sugar.

Remedios started in the winery business in the Hollister area in 2005 and relocated to Oakhurst to open the Queen's Inn in 2007. The winery operation at Queen's Inn started last year with 120 cases of Viognier being produced. According to Remedios, the 2008 Viognier possesses the vintage's classic characteristics -- a crisp fruit bouquet with hints of pear, citrus and honey, backed by a complex mineral finish.

"It can be enjoyed alone, or paired with most foods, especially grilled chicken, fish and vegetables," Remedios said.

The small winery produced 950 cases last year and will be producing 1,400 cases this year. It's not a quick process. The white wines age for approximately eight months in the barrels and the red wines take one to two years to reach their maturity.

Bottling at Idle Hour occurs in the spring, when the weather warms. As the wine ages in the barrels, it changes dramatically throughout the year.

"We really enjoy watching the wines evolve," Remedios said.

Payne especially likes the involvement of the community with the winery.

"A lot of people volunteer to help us during crush and bottling," Payne said. "They kind of take ownership of the winery and it makes them feel part of the whole process. It's great."

The Idle Hour Winery has very loyal followers, as evidenced by its 40-member Wine Club.

Membership includes two bottles of select wines bi-monthly, invitations to bi-monthly club nights, a discount on all bottled wines purchased in the Queen's Inn Wine Bar and discounts to wine tastings. Membership is $38 bi-monthly.

In addition to the Idle Hour wines, 90 other premium wines and a selection of micro-brewed and imported beers are available at the wine bar and beer garden that overlook the Fresno River.

The Queen's Inn Wine Bar is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Details: Queen's Inn by the River and Idle Hour Winery, 41139 Highway 41, (559) 683-4354, www.idlehourwinery.com.