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Mirko and Ales Kristancic Ceglo 18 5212 Dobrovo v Brdih - Ceglo phone: +386 65 45-323 |
Both Movia and Vila Marija are brand names of wines made by Mirko and Ales Kristancic. Movia is the older of the two, named after the Kristancic's estate which has been an independent winery since 1820.
Ales and Mirko Kristancic have fifteen hectares (37 acres) of vineyards, seven in neighbouring Italy. They grow mostly white grapes: Chardonnay, Beli Pinot, Tokaj, Sauvignon, and Rebula. They still keep some old vines of Pika and Glera, and the blended wine made from these grapes of ancient origin is very popular in the Brda area. Merlot, Modri Pinot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are their red wines.
The Kristancic winery is one of the largest independent wineries in Brda, and they were among the first winegrowers in the area to market their wines under their own brand name.
Movia is their brand name for richer, somewhat heavier wines made mostly from overripe grapes grown on older vines that are trained and pruned for low yield. The must is fermented in oak, both old barrels and new barriques. In fact, white wines made from overripe grapes (which, however, do not qualify for the "late harvest" predicate because these grapes are not infected with Botrytis cinerea) seem to be particularly suited to barrique treatment: many connoisseurs consider Movia Chardonnay Barrique as consistently the best wine of its type in Slovenia. Their regular Movia Tokaj is also an excellent wine. Dried Rebula grapes are used to produce a passito-style dessert wine.
Movia red wines are richly coloured and full-bodied, particularly the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, both available as "regular" and barrique wines. Most Movia wines age well.
Vila Marija is the Kristancic brand name for their lighter, fresher wines. These are made from regular-harvest grapes and fermented in stainless steel vats. Ales and Mirko take special care to keep the balance of alcohol, acids, and residual sugar as constant as possible to produce pleasant, recognizable wines. These are not suitable for aging and should be consumed young.
Ales and Mirko Kristancic export 40% of their produce, mostly to Germany but some to the United States, Switzerland, and Japan. They have won a number of awards, including the ECC gold medal at the Brussels Wine Fair in 1989.
The best of their vintages are 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1994.
