At A Glance
- Home
- Alikampos, Chania, Crete
- Main grapes
- Vidiano, Vilana, Muscat of Spinas, Malvasia and Kotsifali
- Signature style
- Romeiko orange de noir
- Defining practices
- Organic and regenerative farming, solar powered winery
The Producer
At Alikampos, Andreas Dourakis works with grape varieties that the winery identifies as indigenous to Crete. He studied winemaking in Germany and developed his skills at wineries in northern Greece before returning home. Dourakis Winery includes Eleni Dourakis, Andreas's wife, their son, an oenologist, and their daughter Evie, who handles administration and marketing.
Andreas describes the house style plainly: each grape variety should show its own character. The wines named here follow that approach through Romeiko, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and Vidiano, each made as a separate varietal wine.
Place
Dourakis Winery is based in Alikampos, Chania, on Crete. The surrounding vineyards include small parcels around the winery, including the parcels selected for Lihnos Vidiano. The local range uses grapes associated with Crete, including Vidiano, Vilana, Muscat of Spinas, Malvasia and Kotsifali.
Alikampos is also the setting for the winery's family history. The family moved there in 1988, and Andreas laid out his plans for the winery in the house of his grandparents.
Soil And Site
Most of the vineyards are planted in clay and limestone soils. Clay can retain moisture, while limestone can help drainage, giving vines different water conditions within the same growing area.
Dourakis reports organic and regenerative farming across its vineyards. The farming program sits alongside a solar powered winery, which became part of the operation in 2019.
Story
In 1990, organic vineyards were planted in small parcels around Alikampos. The vineyards gave the family a working base for farming grape varieties suited to the local setting.
The next generation joined the team in 2007, with Evie taking part in the transition. The winery became solar powered in 2019. Organic parcels, family involvement and solar energy now belong to the same production story.
Vineyards And Cellar
The vineyards are farmed organically and regeneratively, with Vidiano, Vilana, Muscat of Spinas, Malvasia and Kotsifali among the varieties cultivated. Lihnos Vidiano uses grapes that are organically farmed, hand harvested and selected from small vineyard parcels surrounding the winery.
Dourakis Romeiko is made entirely from Romeiko and aged for 24 months in oak barrels. Zelos Aromatica is made entirely from Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and aged for six months in stainless steel. Lihnos Vidiano is made entirely from Vidiano and aged for six months in stainless steel and oak barrel on the lees. Lees are spent yeast cells, and ageing with them can add a fuller texture to white wine.
Wines
The range divides into distinct grape and colour categories. Romeiko is an orange de noir, an orange coloured wine made from a red grape. Zelos Aromatica is a dry white from Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, while Lihnos Vidiano is a dry white from Vidiano.
The bottles therefore move between orange wine and dry white wine, with each of the three named wines made from one grape variety. Lihnos Vidiano has a stated drinking window of up to five years.
In The Glass
Romeiko is salmon coloured with orange highlights. Bitter orange, citrus and sweet bergamot rise from the glass, followed by orange peel, persimmon, bergamot and almond on the palate. The wine is medium bodied and carries a subtle oxidative flavour, with dried herbs, nuts and baked fruit adding further detail.
Zelos Aromatica opens with apricot, peach, jasmine and lemon zest. The palate is crisp and clean, with orange, greengage and apricot flavours.
Lihnos Vidiano brings peach, pear and vanilla aromas, with the vanilla linked to subtle oak ageing. Lemon and mandarin follow on the palate. Tim Atkin's review of the 2022 vintage found rich tropical fruit aromas, intense acidity, freshness and complexity.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Dourakis Romeiko. It is an orange de noir made from 100% Romeiko, the red grape named on the bottle, and aged for 24 months in oak barrels. The wine sits apart from the two dry whites through its colour, grape and long oak élevage. Orange de noir describes both the orange coloured style and its origin in a red grape.
Anecdote
In 1988, Andreas Dourakis returned home to Alikampos after studying winemaking in Germany and developing his skills at wineries in northern Greece. His family moved into their grandparents' house in Alikampos that year. There, Andreas laid out the plans and vision for Dourakis Winery. His return home marked the birth of the winery, linking the family house in Alikampos with the first plans for the cellar and vineyards.
Final Word
Dourakis Winery works from Alikampos, farms organically and regeneratively, and bottles Cretan grape varieties as dry whites and orange Romeiko. The house's most distinctive format is the Romeiko orange de noir, made from a red grape and aged in oak.
Sources
- dourakiswinery.gr
- dourakiswinery.gr/our-story
- dourakiswinery.gr/our-story/vineyard
- www.winesofcrete.gr/en/wineries/dourakis-winery
- dourakiswinery.gr/product/dourakis-romeiko
- www.botilia.gr/en/p/white-wine/Romeiko-Orange-Dourakis
- dourakiswinery.gr/product/zelos-aromatica-bio
- dourakiswinery.gr/product/lihnos-vidiano
- timatkin.com/mediterranean-sundance