Doukenie Winery
Tucked away in the hills northwest of Leesburg, Doukenie is one of the older wineries in Loudoun County, going back to the late 1980s. The owners are a Greek-Haitian family.
Wine. One of the top 100 wineries of Virginia, one of the Top 25 wineries of Northern Virginia, and among the Top 10 wineries of Loudoun County. At the 2023 Virginia state-wide Governor’s Cup wine tasting competition, Doukenie was one of the few wineries awarded two gold medals – for their 2019 Petit Verdot, and their 2020 Sauvignon Blanc. This Sauvignon Blanc was one of the few of this varietal to win a gold medal, and it also came away with a gold medal at the prestigious nation-wide San Francisco Chronicle wine competition in both 2023 and 2022. Doukenie wines were also awarded three silver medals at the 2023 Governor’s Cup competition (for the 2020 Viognier, the 2019 Vintner’s Reserve and the 2019 “Zeus” red blend), and six at the 2022 Governor’s Cup, including their Chardonnay. The Doukenie 2019 Petit Verdot and Vintner’s Reserve, along with the 2020 Viognier, were also awarded silver medals at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle competition, while the 2019 Zeus received a bronze medal. The white blend Mandolin White won the “best white hybrid” award for Loudoun County in 2022 at the Best of Loudoun awards, while the 2019 Zeus won a gold medal at the same event.
Setting: Two stars. An exceptionally beautiful drive on Mountain Road in Hillsboro brings the winery to view, sitting at the base of Short Hill Mountain. The balcony overlooks a large duck pond, bordered by a gazebo and an old vine-covered grain silo.
Stories: Wine and other entertainments. Doukenie is the winery for runners. The Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon starts and finishes at Doukenie. The next edition of the race is scheduled for May 30, 2020. One can sign up for the after-race wine and music party, though apparently – unlike the Bordeaux wine marathon – one does not have the option to trade water and sports drinks for red wine at the race’s hydration stations: pity! The family history, including a 14-year old’s departure from Haiti, can be found on the winery website.