Doukenie, A Legacy of Wine in Virginia
Many moons ago I joined my very first wine club at Virginia-based winery Doukenie Winery.
“the Bazaco family: a family-run winery built on courage, adventure and pursuit of the american dream”
The winery began generations before its foundation with 14 year old Doukénie Babayanie Bacos’s journey from Greece to the US. Her daughter, the aptly named Hope, married George Bazaco and their son, also George, would establish the winery. In 1986 George Bazaco (the junior) and his wife Niki would plant their first vineyard in Loudoun County, Virginia, bringing the family journey full circle. He named the winery for his grandmother who made that fateful journey so long before, leaving behind her family’s farm where her own father made wine.
Several of the wines I received from the winery’s wine club ended up in the boxes I packed and stored with my parents when I moved from DC to Istanbul. In subsequent trips to Michigan (where the wine ended up), I either drank or packed bottles to take back to Turkey. On my last visit two years ago, I inventoried what was left and found two remaining wines from Doukenie.
I was fairly sure these would be candidates for the drain but I very much enjoyed being wrong!
Doukenie Hope’s Legacy Tasting Notes
This non vintage red dessert wine blends together 70% “red blend” with 30% raspberry wine. As a lover of raspberry wine (or “wine” if you’re a purist) I actually bought several of these. One of which I drank I don’t remember when in DC, the other which ended up in Michigan.
Juicy, ripe raspberry aromas rise out of the glass threaded through with a ribbon of cinnamon spice and milk chocolate. Intense raspberry on the palate, again complimented by chocolate and spice. There was nothing particularly astounding or surprising about this wine. But who doesn’t like chocolate raspberry 
and wine? And with 12.5% abv, lightly sweet and vibrant flavors and mouthfeel, it didn’t need to be surprising to be enjoyable.
Doukenie Mandolin 2010 Tasting Notes
Doukenie’s 2010 Mandolin was a 50/50 blend of Traminette (hybrid of the French-American hybrid Joannes Seyve and Gewürtztraminer) and Vidal Blanc (Trebbiano-Rayon d’Ur hybrid). Medium gold in the glass, pouring the wine released aromas of tropical fruits, melon, and exotic spices. The blend might have been an even match between the two grapes but the Traminette definitely showed itself to have the more dominant personality.
The inherit spicy Gewürtztraminer characteristics really jumped out of the Doukenie Mandolin with clove and ginger notes. Juicy melon, honeysuckle and a lively acidity made this a delightful sipper. Apparently one that ages well to boot!