MILDIANI FAMILY WINERY
The Mildiani brothers have been the driving force of modern Georgian winemaking since the 1990’s. One of the first privately owned wineries in the country, Mildiani take credit for reviving the qvevri tradition and for bringing international fame to Georgian orange wines. Today this benchmark estate remains family-owned, producing exquisite wines out of indigenous grapes. Discover our exclusive Mildiani wine range in the UK.
About Mildiani
Mildiani wine story started back in the 1991. It was then that the four brothers, Eldar, Levan, Fridon and Leri Mildiani, embarked on their wine journey. At that time Georgia was still recovering after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In fact, the winemaking industry was on its knees: during the Soviet times all wineries were controlled by the state and focused mainly on cheap mass market wine. Mildiani brothers started off selling Georgian wines to Russia. However, their biggest dream was to revive the Georgian winemaking and to show the whole world what kind of wines this ancient civilisation is capable of producing. With this vision in mind, the brothers founded their own winery in the Kakheti region. This was the start of the acclaimed Mildiani wines.
Originally, Mildiani brothers come from Svaneti, a remote mountainous region in the north-west of Georgia. Svaneti is particularly famous for its distinctive traditions, from food to architecture, from language to way of singing. As a matter of fact, it is often named as one of the most authentic places in Georgia. Perhaps, Mildiani brothers got their inspiration from their homeland, as traditions, indigenous grapes, respect for land and authenticity became the key words of their winemaking vocabulary.
In the 90’s Mildiani became one the first modern commercial wineries to introduce qvevri: big clay amphorae which have been used in Georgian winemaking for millennia. Traditionally, qvevri are used to ferment white grapes and the juice is placed into the amphorae along with the skins, seeds and, sometimes, stems. The resulting wines are orange in colour, rich in tannins, structure and character. However, Mildiani also make some wonderful red wines in qvevri.
These days qvevri wines have become a large world-wide trend. And to a very large extent, it is thanks to Mildiani’s work that qvevri were brought into the international spotlight.
From Vines To Wines
Mildiani’s qvevri wines are surprisingly smooth and harmonious. In order to tame their strong character and to soften the tannins, all of their amphora wines spend some time either in oak barrels or in bottles, maturing in the cool of the cellar. That is why these wines are perfectly balanced and can be enjoyed right upon release.
Another highly impressive range of wines comes out under the Mildiani Special Reserve label. The winemakers choose to produce these wines only in the best vintage years. Special Reserve wines are aged in French oak barrels; these are complex and deep expressions, which show incredible finesse and longevity. Some of the older vintages are still kept in Mildiani cellars and periodically released into the market creating a huge hype amongst the winery fans.
In addition, Mildiani make exceptional naturally sweet wines, some of them under the renowned appellations of Khvanchkara and Tvishi. Also, a recent addition to their portfolio are traditional method sparkling wines which are made of indigenous white grapes.
Today, the heart of Mildiani, as well as their principal vineyards remain in the Kakheti region. At the same time, the winery has expanded its production acquiring plots in the best sites across the country. No matter the vineyard location, grapes are always manually picked and hand sorted for best results.
