The Idle Hour | Lake Tahoe — Attraction in South Lake Tahoe

Don't waste your money.

Idle Wine Bar is a great example of what happens when someone who has minimal (if any) experience with wine decides owning a wine bar would be fun, and then hires a bunch of servers who also don't have a good understanding of wine to work there. It's pretty clear that this person studied business, not wine.

I love wine. I've been to over 60 Washington wineries back home and have even considered spending the time and money to become a sommelier given the great conversations and amazing wines I've had the opportunity to taste. I'm not saying this lightly.

Idle Wine is a perfect example of how to ruin great wine tastings. Here's how: We ordered the full-bodied red flight because we loved the varietals. The wine was served in cordial glasses, leaving no room to aerate through swirling. Big reds need air - their tannic - and can be pretty unpleasant to drink without aeration. It was also clear that the wine was not aerated appropriately before being poured. We weren't given any way to remedy this. It makes my soul cry to know a wine they charge $32 a glass for isn't being served in a wine glass, but a tiny little cup. The board they serve you the wine on is plastic, and the labels were incorrect. When I approached the server to be sure the wines were right, she mentioned that this happens with some regularity. They change the flight wines, and no one bothers to update the boards. Additionally, they place your wine flight holder on top of a piece of PVC pipe, which is unstable. If you don't lift and pull juuuuust right, it's likely you'll spill all your wine. The server also knew this and warned us. Don't be fooled by the beautiful charcuterie images on the website. What you see is what is NOT what you get, and what you get is not worth the price. We received ONE blackberry, ONE mullberry, and a HALF of a strawberry. The cheese was presliced like you were going to make a deli sadwhich. Small portions for a big price, served on not one, but two stacked cutting boards. There were no tasting notes or other information provided about the wine other than the label name and winery location. Again, your board is mislabeled, so you can't even go by that. You have to use the wrinkled printer paper menu instead.

Bottom line: if I'm going to pay $90 for a wine flight and charcuterie, I expect more. Knowledgeable staff, a damn wine glass, and a decent portion size on my food. It's clear you're paying for the view, not the service or the selection. Do yourself a favor and go buy a bottle of $45 wine and some food at the grocery store, then find a place to picnic. It'll be a better experience for the same cost and a little...

My friends and I had been recommended to try the wine flight with charcuterie board and experience the ambiance at this establishment. Unfortunately, our visit on July 17th left us quite disappointed due to our interaction with the staff.

One lady, although very kind, asked multiple times if were all 21, which became slightly uncomfortable. Additionally, she suggested we go downstairs where we could be as loud as we wanted, which wasn't something we had in mind for a relaxed wine-tasting experience.

When one of my friends inquired about the charcuterie board, she replied all we have is what’s on the small menu, no french fries, no grill.

Once we received our wine flights, we did enjoy them, especially with the gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe and the relaxed atmosphere that the place offered.

However, things took a turn when we asked to split the bill. The server said she was unwilling to itemize split: six of the same wine flights and two wine glasses, but that she would split the bill evenly, because she didn’t have time. (The establishment was by no means busy).

Ultimately, we paid on one bill for her convenience. But then, when she handed me the tip screen, I’d assumed it was for the standard tip, as she failed to mention that there was already an auto-gratuity charge, which was not mentioned on the wine menu either. When I discovered this on the receipt, I asked for the added gratuity back, and she complied with a tight smile but commented that I should have known about it because most restaurants implement auto-gratuity for parties of 6 or more and I should have seen it. It would have been helpful if this information had been disclosed earlier, as it could have saved us from accidentally tipping twice.

Several of us have previously worked in the restaurant industry, and we believe that it's common courtesy to inform customers when an auto-gratuity is applied, rather than just handing them a tip screen without any explanation. This situation made us feel unfairly judged from the moment we arrived until we left.

Our hope is that this review serves as constructive feedback and prompts the establishment to address any biases in their service. Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy their wine peacefully without feeling judged or uninformed about charges and...

I had a disappointing experience at Idle Hour Wine Bar. We spent $25 on an Uber to get there, only to be ignored for ten minutes before anyone even acknowledged us. When someone finally did, we were told to wait another five minutes before being seated. Once at our table, the waitress assured us she'd bring waters, but after another fifteen minutes passed, she was nowhere to be found--despite seeing her actively assisting other tables, including delivering a bottle of wine.

At that point, I had to get up and request a carafe of water myself. The waitress with the upper lip piercing responded with a dismissive "give me another second" and handed me the carafe--without any glasses. Frustrated, I took it back to the table, chugged some water, and we decided to leave. On our way out, the waitress seemed irritated with us for being frustrated about the wait, citing that they were short-staffed. VERY RUDE!!! Acting as if it was our fault. I was able to turn away two parties walking up by letting them know I couldn't get water after 30 minutes.

To make matters worse, we then had to wait another ten minutes outside for an Uber to take us back, adding another $15 to the cost of an experience that wasn't worth a dime. While I understand staffing challenges, basic hospitality was lacking. A simple solution--such as seating guests at the long table in front and offering a glass of wine while they wait--would have greatly improved the experience. Unfortunately, problem-solving and customer service don't seem to be priorities here. I won't be returning. Which is disappointing because I liked...