ILIANA MALIHIN
Rethymno's historical vineyards
A winemaker and agriculturist, Iliana Malihin’s journey into the world of oenology is a tale of dedication to preserving the rich heritage of Cretan land and revitalizing the age-old vineyards of Rethymnon.
After obtaining her master’s degree in oenology in Athens and completing several internships in France and Italy, she returned to Crete where, in addition to rediscovering her personal roots in the villages of Rethymno, she discovered prophylloxera vines of the Vidiano variety.
Her path took her first to Santorini where she collaborated with Spyros Chryssos and with whom she created the Rizes 2 wine which marks the union of the two islands, Crete and Santorini, as it contains Vidiano from Fourfouras and Assyrtiko from Santorini.
Then in 2019, in collaboration with Spyros Chryssos, she founded her own small and innovative winery in the village of Melambes.
From the beginning, Iliana’s attention has been focused on the rare and old prophylloxera vines in the mountain villages of Rethymno where, thanks to the collaboration with local winemakers, she has been able to recover old and forgotten mountain vineyards, self-rooted on steep terraces, as well as plant new ones starring Vidiano and other varieties.
The cultivation of dry vines is organic and is done manually.
The winery follows the philosophy of minimal interventions, with native yeasts, low sulfites and avoidance of processes such as clarification, in order to highlight to the maximum the uniqueness of this unique terroir.
All done in a small winery that focuses on artisanal work and where everything is made with a lot of passion and care by a small team.
