Popular Neighborhood Gathering Place Will Offer Streamlined Hours and Menu but Same Iconic Wines
May 24th, 2020 – An oasis of great wine and friendly faces in the heart of a vibrant community, the Domaine Serene Wine Lounge in Lake Oswego has had a busy Memorial Day weekend. Since the announcement on Friday evening that Clackamas County was approved for re-opening after the COVID-19 shutdown, the phones have been ringing off the hook.
“We were very fortunate to remain steadily busy with take-out orders and wine pick-ups throughout the COVID-19 closure,” said Jen Hendrickson, Director of Hospitality Operations. “But you can tell that our patrons, especially some of our regulars and Members, have really been missing us. The feeling is completely mutual,” she laughed.
Hendrickson joined the Domaine Serene team in the Spring of 2020, hailing from Montana’s elite Yellowstone Club. Immediately, she began to oversee operations at Domaine Serene’s three Oregon properties, including the lounge in Lake Oswego, which opened this past December.
The concept in Lake Oswego from the start has been to create a home-away-from-home feel for both the winery’s most avid fans as well as those who might be completely new to wine. With its 3,300-bottle climate-controlled glass wine tower and beautifully appointed interiors, guests can still feel comfortable in an upscale setting and allow themselves to be taken on a sensory experience that is both unique but also world-class. Immediately, the optimally located wine lounge saw weekend nights which were booked out well in advance with guests looking to unwind with nightly live music and wine-inspired cuisine. Reservations were quickly on their way to the same destiny for weeknights when the COVID-19 pandemic reared up across the globe.
Acting swiftly, Domaine Serene President Ryan Harris and owners Grace and Ken Evenstad closed their Dundee Hills bucket-list wine destination, the Clubhouse, as well as both wine lounge locations in advance of Oregon’s legal mandates. Within days, the businesses had pivoted to a different model, one focused on wines to-go, as well as a creative takeout menu crafted by the Evenstad Estates culinary team. With its thoughtfully curated retail wine shop, the wine lounge in Lake Oswego saw many of its customers ordering essential food and pantry items on a regular basis during the crisis, as well as adding on a few bottles of their favorite Oregon and Burgundian wines from Domaine Serene and its winery in France.
Now, with the announcement that Clackamas County business are approved to re-open under phase one guidelines, Domaine Serene leadership is again acting quickly to meet the needs of the community. Having reopened the Dundee Hills Clubhouse just one week prior with reservations fully committed throughout the weekend, the team has a thorough and scalable model for safe implementation of a re-opening plan in their two urban outposts as well.
Beginning Friday, May 29th, the Lake Oswego location will open its doors once again with a limited food menu and reduced seating capacity. Hours of operation will be constrained to 3 – 9 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday, at least at first. “We want to make absolutely sure that we are doing our utmost to not only comply with state and national guidelines,” says Harris, “but also to ensure the comfort and safety of every single one of our customers and employees. We are going above and beyond in that regard.
Though Multnomah County has not yet been cleared for re-opening by state authorities, Hendrickson and her team are anticipating re-opening the original wine lounge in downtown Portland in the coming weeks as well. “If it’s anything like the amazing Clubhouse re-opening this weekend, we’re anticipating a lot of long-distance ‘air-hugs’ and really just sheer happiness from customers and employees alike.”
Reservations for the Domaine Serene Wine Lounge in Lake Oswego are available at www.domaineserenewineloungelo.com and are strongly encouraged due to new reduced capacities. The most up to the minute news can be found on the Lounge’s social media pages. Patrons who have questions are encouraged to contact 503.664.7030 or email lakeoswego@domaineserene.com.
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 individual 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, Grace and Ken 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 respected 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 under three decades, the Evenstads have propelled Domaine Serene onto the global stage as one of the world’s most acclaimed and respected wineries. Domaine Serene’s wines represent the achievement that is possible in Oregon, one of the finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Which of your great wines beat Romanee Conte of Burgundy in a blind tasting?
Gary Wolf