Ken Evenstad

Coming Up

Wine training at the University of Minnesota in 1967 gave Ken Evenstad the first framework for a career that would later take shape in vineyard and cellar work. The progression here is deliberate: study first, then a long practice in fine wine, with time used as part of the method rather than something to rush past. The decisive stretch came with the co-founding of Domaine Serene Winery in Dundee Hills, Oregon, from 1989 to 2020. Those decades mark the scale of the work: not a short project, but a sustained effort to build an estate identity in Oregon wine country, year by year, through repeated attention to place and style.

Where They Are Now

Grand Cheval Oregon Red Wine is presented by Domaine Serene Winery in Dayton, Oregon, as a house wine and is crafted for Father’s Day. The wine sits in the register of a polished estate bottling, built for occasion and gifting, with the holiday note giving it a clear role at the table.

Signature

Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir, Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay, and Grand Cheval Oregon Red Wine are the wines most closely associated with Ken Evenstad’s name. Taken together, they show a range that spans red and white bottlings, while Grand Cheval Oregon Red Wine extends that signature into a broader house expression. The naming itself signals a formal estate approach, with each bottle positioned to carry the weight of the label.

In Their Words “I started out with California Cabernet. I remember a '68 Charles Krug that was incredible.” California Cabernet was the starting line, and the memory of that '68 Charles Krug reads as an early standard that stayed visible. It is a concise statement, but it points to the kind of tasting memory that can anchor a career.