Domaine Serene Founders & Owners Continue Their Philanthropic Mission by Supporting Charitable Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dayton, OR – In an effort to pay it forward to charities providing relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, Domaine Serene Vineyards and Winery has created ‘Pour it Forward’, a giving campaign that enables members of the wine community to continue the cherished act of sharing fine wine with those they love, while doing good for the world. For centuries, wine has brought people together around the world with the simple act of sharing a bottle. In a time when caring for humanity requires that we stay apart, Domaine Serene believes that small acts of kindness to fill the glasses of others are powerful reminders that we are all in this together.
The program is simple. Consumers who wish to ‘Pour it Forward’ may select from three care packages featuring an array of Domaine Serene’s award-winning wines. Domaine Serene will donate 10% of the value of each ‘Pour it Forward’ package gifted to one of four charities, selected by the sender of the package. To learn more about how to gift ‘Pour it Forward’ care packages, visit https://www.domaineserene.com/Pour-it-Forward.
Recipients of each care package are then encouraged to also pay the gift forward by following the same steps outlined above. To make the act of giving even more fun and engaging, participants may check how their friends are pouring it forward on Domaine Serene’s website at www.domaineserene.com, with prizes for those who have inspired the most goodwill. At the end of the promotion at a date to be determined, the Grand Prize winner will have their choice of guest house accommodations for four for two nights on Domaine Serene’s breathtaking properties at the Clubhouse at Domaine Serene in Dayton, Oregon or at their winery Château de la Crée in Burgundy, France.
The charities benefitting from this program include The United Way COVID-19 Community Response & Recovery Fund, No Kid Hungry, and The James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund. Of great personal significance to Domaine Serene is the inclusion of the Evenstad Center for Wine Education at Linfield College, established by Domaine Serene’s owners and founders Grace and Ken Evenstad. Donations to this institution will provide much-needed scholarships and supplies to the program, which in turn benefits the hard-hit hospitality and winemaking community.
Ken and Grace Evenstad’s personal generosity is not central to this one event, or this single cause. The Evenstads play a very important role in several local Oregon charitable wine scenes. Every November, they donate their award-winning facility, the Clubhouse at Domaine Serene. This is in addition to five cases of a special, limited-production, blend of Domaine Serene ¡Salud! Cuvée Pinot Noir. Their contributions have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the ¡Salud! Organization, which provides healthcare to vineyard workers throughout Oregon. The lot which the Evenstads donated in 2019, an all-inclusive trip to their Burgundian home Château de la Crée, raised $38,000.
Further, in September of 2018, the Evenstads pledged $500,000, in hopes of raising a total of $1,000,000 through matching industry donations, to launch an initiative taking aim at eradicating the Grapevine Red Blotch Virus – a clear and significant threat to vineyard properties and winemaking in the Willamette Valley and beyond.
That sizeable donation and initiative came on the heels of the largest gift in support of wine studies in Oregon history –$6 million dollars in total – to endow the aforementioned Evenstad Center for Wine Education and the Evenstad Chair in Wine Studies at Linfield College. The record-breaking donation created the first institution in the country to offer an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree and master’s degree in wine studies.
On a national level, in Naples, Florida, Ken and Grace Evenstad are major contributors to the Naples Winter Wine Festival, and Grace has attended every auction for the past twenty years, serving as a past Festival Chair and now as a Lifetime Trustee. Their combined donations over their twenty years of involvement eclipse the $4 million dollar mark for the cause. Their contributions have helped the NWWF raise over $200 million over its two decades, including an auction lot in 2019 which sold for a remarkable $170,000.
Charitable giving is an essential part of the fabric that makes up the culture at Domaine Serene, Château de la Crée and the legacy of Grace and Ken Evenstad. The Evenstads and the Evenstad Estates brands have now donated or raised nearly $20 million for philanthropic causes. ‘Pour it Forward’ is another way in which the Evenstads continue to be philanthropic leaders both locally and globally.
About Domaine Serene
The Evenstads settled in the Northern Willamette Valley in 1989. Their spirit and passion to produce wines that rival the great wines of Burgundy led them to purchase and plant a hilltop estate that had just been logged in the now famous Dundee Hills.
Today, Domaine Serene produces wines from six distinct vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In Oregon, the Evenstads own nearly 1,000 total acres of land in the hills of Yamhill County, with 275 acres planted to vine.
Working every job in the winery for many years, Ken and Grace Evenstad built Domaine Serene from the ground up with a focus on producing high quality wines through innovation and a focus on excellence. The Evenstads have gained a true appreciation for the attention to detail required to make exceptional wines.
In 2015, Ken and Grace Evenstad fulfilled a lifelong dream of producing wine in Burgundy, France by acquiring Château de la Crée, the legendary wine estate located in the birthplace of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: the renowned Côte d’Or. They own 25 acres of prime vineyards in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges. This made them the first Oregon-based vintners to own land and produce wines in Burgundy.
In just over three decades, the Evenstads, through their continuous pursuit of quality, innovation, and commitment, have garnered global recognition as one of the world’s most acclaimed and respected wineries. Their success represents the achievement that is possible in Oregon, one of the finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
