About Us

Johan Douchy (57 years old) developed a passion for wine during his studies at the Hotelschool Ter Duinen in Koksijde. On May 8, 1987, he achieved 3rd place in the prestigious Concours de Sommellerie organized by the French house Gilbey de Loundenne.

After completing his studies in 1987, he worked for 2 months at a château in Margaux and then spent 6 months as a sommelier in a Michelin-starred restaurant. After his military service in 1988, where he worked as a KRO instructor at the Technical School of Food, he decided, together with Katty (57 years old), to first get married and immediately afterward open their wine shop in Ostend.

In 1989, at the age of 21, Katty and Johan started a small specialty wine shop at Koningstraat 56.

The store is still there today and is open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

In 1992, Katty and Johan opened a second store in Diksmuide, which was later transferred to franchisees.

In 1993, they made a big decision to purchase an industrial building in Ostend, allowing them to import wines from all over Europe. Later, in 1997, a shop was added to the industrial building, which is still open today and where Katty and Johan can usually be found.

Since 2016, the two sons, Olivier and Laurent, also joined the business as drivers. Olivier (34 years old) additionally helps with accounting and logistics. Laurent (29 years old), besides his role as a driver, is also responsible for online sales, including processing and marketing.

They both have the ambition to continue the business and take over completely in the coming years.

Since 2022, Karel (30 years old) has joined the team full-time. As a childhood friend of Laurent, he primarily works as a driver and also assists Jason in the warehouse.

At the end of 2024, warehouse manager Walter retired after 17 years of loyal service at Wijnhuis Douchy.
His position was taken over by Jason (30 years old), who now manages the warehouse and ensures the correct processing of all orders.