Domaine Serene Highlights Sustainability Success With Measurable Environmental Progress
In recognition of Sustainability Month this October, Domaine Serene Winery is highlighting its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, responsible winemaking, and community development. The Oregon-based winery is showcasing measurable progress across several areas, including vineyard management, natural habitat preservation, lightweight wine bottle development, employee well-being, and resource efficiency. These initiatives reflect the winery’s philosophy that producing exceptional wines goes hand in hand with protecting the environment and supporting future generations.
Founded in 1989 by Grace and Ken Evenstad, Domaine Serene was established with a vision inspired by the Willamette Valley’s potential to produce world-class wines and its similarities to Burgundy, France. From its early beginnings, the winery has focused on crafting high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay while maintaining a strong connection to the land that supports its vineyards.
For more than 35 years, this commitment has guided the winery’s operations and long-term development. The founding vision continues to influence its sustainability strategy, which extends beyond vineyard practices to include packaging, workforce development, and community engagement.
The same philosophy applies throughout the broader Evenstad Estates portfolio, which includes Château de la Crée, Domaine Evenstad, and Maison Evenstad in Burgundy, France. Across these properties, environmental responsibility remains an important part of the organization’s approach to wine production and estate management.
“Grace and Ken’s vision connected the pursuit of crafting exceptional wine with a responsibility to this estate. Sustainability isn’t a new initiative at Domaine Serene. It’s always been at the heart of our work,” said Rusty Field, CEO and President of Domaine Serene. “Our role is to carry those values forward, caring for the land and supporting the people who will shape Domaine Serene for generations to come.”
Protecting Oregon’s Landscapes and Improving Vineyard Health
Domaine Serene’s environmental stewardship begins in its vineyards, where farming practices are designed to support healthy soils, biodiversity, and long-term ecosystem resilience. The winery incorporates cover crops, reduced tilling, composting, and sheep grazing into its vineyard management approach.
These practices contribute to soil health and help support the natural systems that sustain productive vineyards. Cover crops can provide ground protection and improve soil structure, while composting helps return organic matter to the soil. Reduced tilling can limit soil disturbance, and managed sheep grazing offers another approach to maintaining vineyard vegetation.
Beyond cultivated areas, Domaine Serene is working to protect and restore natural habitats throughout its Oregon estate. Planting native species and removing invasive plants help strengthen local ecosystems and create more favorable conditions for native wildlife and beneficial insects.
Wildfire preparedness is another component of the winery’s land-management strategy. The estate has implemented measures that include ladder fuel removal, expanded natural firebreaks, and water reservoirs to support wildfire mitigation. These efforts are particularly relevant to managing vineyard properties and surrounding natural areas in a region where wildfire risk can affect landscapes, infrastructure, and agricultural operations.
Domaine Serene’s vineyards have maintained LIVE, Salmon-Safe, and Bee Friendly certifications since 2013. These certifications reflect the winery’s ongoing commitment to responsible vineyard management, environmental protection, and practices that support biodiversity and ecological health.
The scale of the estate’s conservation efforts is also significant. Of the approximately 1,000 acres owned by Domaine Serene in Oregon, 65% remains in its natural state. These protected areas include forests, oak savannahs, and riparian zones, which provide important ecological benefits beyond wine production.
According to the winery, these natural areas sequester more than 1,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. The amount is comparable to the annual emissions associated with approximately 350 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.
By maintaining substantial areas of natural habitat alongside its vineyards, Domaine Serene aims to balance agricultural production with the preservation of the surrounding environment. This approach demonstrates how vineyard operators can incorporate conservation into estate management while maintaining a focus on wine quality.
Introducing Lighter Wine Packaging Without Compromising Quality
In addition to protecting its vineyards and surrounding ecosystems, Domaine Serene is addressing the environmental impact of its packaging. Glass bottles are an important part of wine presentation, but their weight also influences material consumption and transportation requirements.
To reduce the resources associated with packaging, the winery worked with Saverglass to develop the Cépage Eco bottle. The project followed a challenge from founder Grace Evenstad to rethink traditional bottle design while preserving the distinctive appearance associated with Domaine Serene wines.
The resulting bottle weighs 495 grams, making it 30% lighter than the standard Cépage bottle. Despite the reduced weight, the design retains Domaine Serene’s recognizable silhouette and presentation.
According to the winery, the lighter bottle reduces glass consumption by approximately 250,000 pounds per vintage. This reduction represents a measurable step toward lowering material use while maintaining the visual identity expected of the winery’s premium wine offerings.
The project also reflects a broader effort to consider sustainability throughout the production process, rather than limiting environmental initiatives to vineyard operations.
“Sustainability is a core pillar for us at Evenstad Estates. When Grace challenged us to create a lighter bottle, it required us to look at things from an entirely different perspective,” said Michael Fay, Vice President of Winemaking and Viticulture. “We bring tremendous care to the vineyards and the wines. The bottle deserves the same attention, including the resources needed to make it.”
The collaboration illustrates how wineries can explore packaging innovation as part of their environmental strategies. By reducing bottle weight while retaining product presentation, Domaine Serene is seeking to balance design expectations with more efficient material use.
Supporting Employees and Strengthening the Community
Domaine Serene’s sustainability efforts also extend to its employees and the communities surrounding its operations. The winery recognizes that long-term stewardship involves more than protecting land and reducing material consumption; it also requires creating a workplace that supports people and contributes positively to the regional wine industry.
Its initiatives include workplace safety, employee benefits, and sustainability education. These efforts are intended to help employees understand the organization’s environmental priorities while supporting a workplace culture built around shared responsibility.
Community engagement is another important part of this strategy. Domaine Serene supports regional nonprofit organizations, participates in philanthropic activities, and invests in wine education and the development of future industry professionals.
Through these activities, the winery aims to extend its influence beyond its estate and contribute to the continued development of the broader wine community. Education and professional development can also help prepare the next generation of workers and leaders to address the evolving challenges facing the wine industry.
“The experiences we share with guests begin with all the people who make them possible,” said Liz Lease-McCaffrey, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer. “To us, stewardship means caring for our team, being thoughtful partners, and contributing to the community around us. We honor those responsibilities with the same dedication and care we give our wines.”
The winery’s approach connects environmental management with social responsibility, emphasizing that sustainable business practices depend on both natural resources and the people who contribute to the organization’s success.
Measuring Environmental Performance and Identifying Improvements
Domaine Serene is also working to measure the effectiveness of its sustainability initiatives through winery-level LIVE certification practices. These practices support the monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water use, materials, waste, and employee safety.
Tracking these operational indicators allows the winery to evaluate its resource use and identify opportunities to improve efficiency. Regular measurement can also help the organization assess whether its initiatives are delivering progress and determine where additional attention is needed.
Rather than treating sustainability as a one-time project, Domaine Serene describes it as an ongoing process that requires regular evaluation and adjustments to everyday operations.
“The work is in the decisions we revisit every day,” said Chris Ramsey, Director of Wine Operations and Development. “Measuring how we use water, energy and materials helps us see where we need to improve. Our responsibility is to do better each day and keep putting what we learn into practice.”
This emphasis on measurement supports the winery’s efforts to make environmental stewardship part of routine business decisions. Monitoring resource consumption and waste can help identify practical changes that improve operational performance while supporting broader environmental objectives.
Future Priorities for Sustainable Winemaking
Looking ahead, Domaine Serene plans to continue developing initiatives that strengthen its environmental performance. Its priorities include expanding pollinator-friendly plantings, increasing the use of green energy, improving winery water efficiency, and pursuing further packaging standardization.
The winery also intends to continue reduced-tillage practices and cover-crop trials as part of its ongoing work to support vineyard soil health. These activities will help the team evaluate management approaches that align agricultural productivity with long-term environmental care.
Additional pollinator-friendly plantings are expected to complement existing habitat restoration work, while greater water efficiency and increased renewable energy use offer further opportunities to improve resource management across winery operations.
Packaging standardization is another area of focus, building on the development of the lighter Cépage Eco bottle. Continued evaluation of packaging materials and designs could help the winery identify further opportunities to reduce resource consumption without compromising its standards for quality and presentation.
Through these initiatives, Domaine Serene is reinforcing a sustainability strategy that combines land conservation, responsible vineyard management, packaging innovation, employee support, and community investment.
As the winery marks Sustainability Month in October, its efforts highlight how environmental stewardship can be integrated into the everyday decisions involved in producing premium wines. By preserving natural landscapes, reducing glass consumption, monitoring operational performance, and investing in people, Domaine Serene continues to advance the founding vision of Grace and Ken Evenstad.
The winery’s long-term approach underscores its belief that exceptional winemaking and environmental responsibility are closely connected. Its ongoing work is focused on maintaining the quality of its wines while protecting the land, resources, and communities that will support the business and the wider wine industry for generations to come.
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