MLEČNIK
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Mlečnik family is involved in viticulture and winemaking for more than 200 years.
Their winery is located in the Vipava Valley of the Republic of Slovenia, which borders Friuli Venezia Julia. This area is a mortar-shaped marl soil surrounded by mountains, with an altitude of about 50 to 120 m. Valter’s grandfather’s private land, including the vineyards, was confiscated by the government during the socialist country, but Velter gradually bought it back. Then, in 1989, he started bottling wine, which had been sold in tubs and by measure. From the beginning, he cultivated grapes without using chemicals or chemical fertilizers such as herbicides and pesticides. Since 1993, when he met Josco Gravner, he resonated with Josco's viticulture and winemaking philosophy and practiced it. From 2005, he started viticulture without using "Bordeaux mixture", which is used even by strict biodynamic producers. With the utmost respect for the traditions and nature of their ancestors,
Founded: 1982 (Valter Mlečnik)
Region : Vipava/Primorska/Slovenia
Wine Maker : Valter Mlecnik, Klemen Mlecnik
Vines Area: 7 ha
Annual Production : around 12,000 bottles
Valter and his son Kelemen aim to create a natural wine that reflects the individuality and the terroir of the grapes themselves.After the maceration (3-7 days whites and 10-14 days red), the wines wait for 2 years in big barrels before the bottling and at least another 3 years before they go to the market. They believe in connection of everything with everything and try to respect the natural laws which they encounter every day. What nature creates is unique and in its wholeness it is perfect. They think that all they have to do is to ”raise” the wine and let it mature and so fulfil its mission.
From 2015 onwards, they have stopped to use the pneumatic press and they use only the old basket vertical press for all their wines (They were using that one for merlot and partly for smaller quantities of white already for a number of years). This gave them better results and the wines acquired another interesting perspective.
