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Visiting Crete and Dourakis Winery with Chania Wine Tours

 

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I recently came back from a trip to Crete. My first time on the island, in fact my first time in ages outside of Athens. I met E&M there for M’s 40th birthday. But bonus! I also got to meet up with my awesome friend Anna Maria of Unraveling Wine and Chania Wine Tours!

We spent the week there in what, apparently, was some of the worst weather they’ve had in years. Pouring buckets of rain, what felt like gale force winds, and a 5.8 earthquake. We got rained out of several activities and/or things were closed for the season. But, a few nice moments with blue skies allowed a couple pictures. We enjoyed the little Christmas festival with E&M’s toddler who wanted to go on all the rides.

A good chunk of time we spent running from one café or restaurant to another. So if nothing else we ate and drank very well! Mostly thanks to recommendations from Anna Maria. And while many wineries were also closed for the season, thanks again to Anna Maria, we got to visit and do a tasting at Dourakis Winery. Where, incidentally, I met my new love affair: Romeiko.

Dourakis Kudos Muscat of Spina, 2020

Muscat of Spina gets its name from the location where the grapes grow. Which is Spina…in case I wasn’t obvious about that! I know Muscat wines scare off a lot of people. I deal with that in Turkey with Bornova Misketi. The intense aromatics of this grape family puts off a lot of the people who think they don’t like sweet wine. Even when the wine is dry. For me though, a well-made dry Muscat is always a treat. And a lovely way to open a tasting!

Pale lemon in the glass with waves of fruit and floral aromas. So much white rose, lemon blossom, and jasmine mingled with ripe peach and splashes of citrus. Round and medium-bodied with low but pleasing acidity and 12.2% abv. Very pretty.

Dourakis Lihnos Vidiano, 2019

Vidiano is a grape I know from previous trips to Greece, but not one I have yet to fall in love with. This one got me a little closer though! Made with organic grapes and aged in 10% new-ish French oak, it poured a lovely golden-green color.

Lots of yellow fruit in the nose like pear and bergamot. Wild flowers and just a hint a vanilla complimented the fruit. Full-bodied with high alcohol but really well balanced. 14% abv! I would have guessed a full percent lower. Round and rich buoyed by a thread of zippy acidity. The flavor profile was pronounced with all the yumminess sensed in the nose and the addition of freshly picked mandarins.

And if you’re asking yourself, like I was, what ‘lihnos’ means…from the winery’s website:

“Lihnos is the name of the oil lamp which our grandfather Andreas used to inspect the barrels, one by one, of his maturing wine in the dark cellars.”

Dourakis Apus Romeiko, 2019

Romeiko, my new love affair, is, as I learned, a weird grape. It ranges from green green to purple purple, often all on the same bunch! These are not mutations a la Pinot Noir and sundry. These naturally occurring mosaic grapes create wines with high alcohol, high acid, light color, and low tannins…and therefore seem to get used more often than not for blanc de noir style wines. Curious? Read more about it in Anna Maria’s fantastic post.

Bronze lemon in the glass. You can see this is not a white white wine. Aromas of mandarin leaf chase unripe peach and pear blossom. Clean, round, with lively acidity, it’s a mouthful of early orchard peaches.

Dourakis Kudos Grenache Rosé, 2020

Crete got hit hard in the 1970s with phylloxera. Grenache was one of the hardier international varieties that moved in when replanting got underway. This was a fun wine to drink and soon we were throwing around fantastically nostalgic descriptors. It kicked off when the nose was described to me as “a strawberry and an orange had a baby”.  Then Turkish delights were mentioned. All I got was wild raspberries, strawberry leaf, and a dash of white pepper.

Then I tasted it, and the fun started. Nice acidity with a mid palate creaminess. I could definitely see that orangeberry action but the Turkish delight was lost on me. The creaminess combined with the orangeberry and strawberry brought to mind those old Lifesaver Swirl lollipops. Remember those? Vanilla swirled with whatever fruit flavor. That was absolutely what this wine reminded me of and I was loving it.

Dourakis Kudos Kotsifali Syrah, 2018

Next up, the Kudos Kotsifali Syrah blend. I was happy to learn that the blend favored the Kotsifali (70/30) which was another grape I learned about on Crete. Kotsifali lacks anthocyanins resulting in pale colored wines. But here the addition of Syrah helped deepen the color a bit.

Redolent of cherry and black currant leaf decorated with pink peppercorn. Delicate, silky tannins, bright acidity, blackberry and bramble fruit cobbler slide into a coffee finish. Medium-bodied with 13% abv. Absolutely lovely. Even if I did neglect to take a picture!

Dourakis Impromptu Mandilari, 2014

Mandilari (aka Mandilaria) is a deeply colored grape that often makes tannic wines, but conversely wines that are not high in alcohol or full-bodied as might be expected. Dourakis Winery’s Impromptu Mandilari leans more pale garnet than dark. But that is the only thing “pale” about the wine!

The light garnet color hid a wealth of dried Bing cherries, dried flowers, potpourri, leather, and liquorice. Medium-low body with only 12.5% abv and just a rasp of those tannins.

Dourakis Lihnos Cabernet Sauvignon Kotsifali, 2018

Dourakis’s second Kotsifali blend features Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jewel-bright with notes of dried rose petals strewn over ripe black cherries and perfumed blackberries. A silky texture with luscious raspberries and a ribbon of cedar. Medium-bodied with juicy acidity and 13% abv.

After high alcohol Turkish wines, I found these an especially delight!

Of course I left with a few wines, including Dourakis’s Romeiko sparkling wine. Can’t wait to really sit down and enjoy these!