Behind the Scenes

Elise StimacFarm Life, People, VineyardLeave a Comment

Irrigation repair on Three Feathers Estate & Vineyard

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

On Winemaking, Pinot Noir and our 2017 Vintage

Elise StimacVineyard, Wine making, Wine Tasting

Dan Duryee, winemaker, stands amongst oak barrels at Lady Hill Winery tasting room in Saint Paul, Oregon.

  Technical progress makes it possible to always improve the quality of the wines, but it seems that this very technicality leads to a standardization of the product. With filtration and the imperatives of competition, it becomes difficult to say whether a Chardonnay wine has been made in France, Italy or California. The professionals want drinks that are acceptable to … Read More

Cynthia’s Spring Rolls

Elise StimacPairing, Recipes

Cynthia's spring rolls served with Three Feathers Estate 2016 Pinot Noir with view of vineyards in background.

Cynthia has elaborated this variation of spring rolls from a recipe that a Vietnamese friend taught her to make many years ago.  Perfect for a buffet, light lunch or hot summer evening meal, these spring rolls are delicious served a watercress, fennel and baby greens salad and a bottle of our first vintage 2016 Three Feathers Pinot Noir. This recipe … Read More

Lines on the Vines

Elise StimacGrowing, Vineyard

Vines and tendrils reaching upwards on their trellis wires on Th

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

Elise StimacFamily

Three Feathers Estate & Vineyard owners Elise Prudhomme, Cynthia Sciarratta and Christine Stimac

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

Elise StimacWine making

Final comparative view of Three Feathers 2016 Pinot Noir before and after filtration in preparation of bottling on July 6.

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

Living with the Wildlife

Elise StimacFarm Life, Wildlife

Nubian goats eating grass in their pen, Ford truck in background.

Living with the Wildlife Our Ford F-150 gets a lot of use during the growing season, but when it is idle, it is parked in a dry spot by our goat barn. Last summer we noticed an odor inside the cab; a faint odor of manure.  We checked our shoes, nothing.  As the odor persisted we looked further, under and … Read More

Barrel Tasting at Lady Hill Winery

Elise StimacWine making

Barrel tasting custom crush 2016 Three Feathers Pinot Noir with Winemaker Dan Duryee at Lady Hill Winery, Saint Paul, Oregon, USA.

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

Elise StimacGrowing

Springtime buds on grape vines on Three Feathers Estate, Chehalem Mountain AVA, Yamhill County, Oregon, United States.

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

Elise StimacWine making

Three Feathers pinot noir grapes sorted and de-stemmed and ready for the fermentation tanks, Lady Hill Winery, Saint Paul, Oregon, USA.

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