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Dorwinion or Dor-Winion, the "Land of Wines", is a land which lay on the northwestern shores of the Sea of Rhûn. In Dorwinion was made a heady wine, which was strong enough to let even Elves get drunk and fall asleep.

Nothing is known about the realm or its inhabitants, were they Elves or Men. Dorwinion may have been the only Avari realm close to the Westlands of Middle-earth. It was already well established while the Atanatári were still young.

Dorvinion is mentioned by in the Narn i Chîn Húrin, where it was drunk in Thingol's halls of Menegroth. It is said there to lie in the "Burning south", which might suggest it was a different "Dorwinion", or may just have referred to the fact it came from the more southern lands of Rhovanion by way of the Dwarf-road of Beleriand.

Dorwinion is mentioned as the place where the special wine of the Elvenking comes from, and the crates are returned by way of the Forest River to Lake-town on Long Lake.[1]


The name is Sindarin meaning "Young-land country" from dor and gwain plus the geographical ending -iond.[2]

It has been suggested by Tolkienists that the name may not have been Sindarin at all, but come from an Avari or Nandorin tongue. The element -Winion was understood as apparently meaning "wine", without any probable origin in any known etymology; thus pointing to an obscure (like Avarin) origin.

Other versions

Tolkien in several unpublished texts mentions Dorwinion mainly to the South. The canonical location was decided at random by Pauline Baynes while drawing her map of Middle-earth. Tolkien was surprised but agreed.[3]}}


  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Barrels Out of Bond"
  2. John Rateliff, The History of the Hobbit
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lays of Beleriand, "The Lay of the Children of Húrin"