Polo Noir: World Class Polo Meets World Class Wine

On September 10th, the first inaugural Polo Noir event took place just outside of Portland at the Hidden Creek Polo Club Fields. A crowd of about three thousand gathered to enjoy the perfect late-summer weather and a day of luxury wine, live music, and exciting polo matches. In true equestrian spectator fashion, many women in attendance were dressed in beautiful dresses and sun hats, and the atmosphere was festively casual yet elegant.

Domaine Serene partnered with Provenance Hotel as event sponsors, and shared exquisite estate-grown Willamette Valley wines with their VIP wine club members and guests. From comfortable quarters inside the shaded open-air tent, very close to the field of play, guests witnessed exciting polo play as they sipped award-winning wines and enjoyed light appetizers in a luxurious, impeccably appointed ambience.

Not to be outdone by the wine, the live Polo matches engaged onlookers with stunningly beautiful horses and fast-paced action. Notably, some famous Argentine polo players wowed the audience with their speed and agility. There may be nothing quite as breathtaking as beautiful Polo Ponies in full endurance mode, as their talented riders deftly maneuver them across a ten-acre grass field in pursuit of a small white ball. Between matches, the audience helped out, wine glasses in hand, with the traditional “divot stomping” exercise.  

As the day progressed, Portland-based American indie band Radiation City took to the stage with ethereal male and female pop vocals and unique electronic stylings. Later on, the headliner of the evening and three-time Grammy winner, Ben Harper, played an absolutely beautiful acoustic set for the audience. Ben’s intimate performance was made even more special when his own mother joined him on stage for parts of the performance. Soulful and engaging, the outdoor musical performance served as the ideal culmination to a perfect late-summer Oregon day!

In case you missed out on this year’s exciting Polo action and the festive VIP hospitality offered at the Domaine Serene/Provenance Hotels tent, the Polo Noir organizers have announced they are already planning next year’s event, with three monthly matches during the summer of 2017.