Brix, Birds and The Worlds Most Expensive Jelly Waste Not, Want Not is part of our continuing effort to find creative uses for our harvested Pinot Noir grapes that don’t go into wine-making. As I explained last year in my recipe for Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce, I have a problem with wasting grapes. During pre-harvest months, while we wait for … Read More
Veraison Diary
50 Shades of Purple Véraison is a French word describing the process of ripening in grapes. After the plants bloom, they go through a two month long period of maturation during which the plants, essentially climbing vines, put on tremendous growth of the shoots and tendrils. Just when you are exhausted from trimming, hedging and trying to keep the vines … Read More
2018 Vineyard Grower’s Update
2018 Vineyard Grower’s Update The 2018 season in the vineyard began with pruning in early February. The winter was cool and dry punctuated with rainy periods, but not characteristically wet. Even spring was not very wet despite lingering cool temps and Bud Break was a month later than last year, on May 2. Once the plants started growing it was … Read More
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes Behind the facade of any enterprise is the man power that brings every job to fruition. Given the size of the Three Feathers Farm & Vineyard we cannot possibly do everything ourselves. We are very fortunate to have two terrific workers; Scott Pote and David Pederson, who are our Essential Team Members. Both native Oregonians they take … Read More
Lines on the Vines
2017 Vineyard Season Update We have been frantically busy since our last post about the vineyard at bud break in May. I analogize the season in the vineyard to a horse race with us in a race to keep up with the pace of the vines as they grow. There’s weeding and mowing, fertilizing and disease control and the perpetual … Read More
Three Feathers Estate & Vineyard celebrates a glorious Oregon summer with a family photo session
Photo Session at Three Feathers Estate & Vineyard We are having glorious weather in the vineyards in Hillsboro, Oregon. Time for our family to enjoy the best that Oregon has to offer and an excellent opportunity for a photo shoot. Three Feathers Estate & Vineyard owners Christine Stimac (left) and daughters Cynthia Stimac (middle) and Elise Prudhomme (right) pose in … Read More
Stirred, not Shaken
Stirred, not Shaken: Clarification of our 2016 Three Feathers Pinot Noir We received a text message from Dan Duryee, our winemaker at Lady Hill Winery, to say that our Three Feathers 2016 vintage Pinot Noir would go through the filtration process that day. “Is there anything to photograph?”, Christine texted back. Up pops a photograph of a strange machine and … Read More
Barrel Tasting at Lady Hill Winery
Barrel Tasting with our Winemaker Dan Duryee Our tasting compared the four barrels against each other. Winemakers do this to ensure that none of the barrels are bad or “off” tasting before they are blended. One of the barrels was noticeably different. The simplest explanation was that the barrel manufacturer was different from the other three. Interesting that that would … Read More
New Buds on Pinot Noir Grapevines
New Buds We go out frequently to see if the vines are coming to life. Today I could detect the tiniest little swelling on a new bud. We have had a record breaking winter of ice, snow, rain and mud with many slides in the valley. With the coming of spring it has warmed a bit and we have had … Read More
Harvesting and Custom Crush at Lady Hill Winery
Custom Crush at Lady Hill Winery with Winemaker Dan Duryee Recent genetic studies of grape varieties has identified Pinot Noir as one of the oldest grapes in the world. A small cluster variety, Pinot Noir has a reputation for being a finicky grape. It prefers cool nights and warm days. The wine is light in color and flavor and on … Read More