Iliana Malihin

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Iliana Malihin 2022 'Rhea' Old Vines Vidiano, Rethymno PGI	Login	—
Iliana Malihin 2024 'Rhea' Old Vines Vidiano, Rethymno PGI	Login	—
Iliana Malihin 2024 Young Vines Vidiano, Rethymno PGI	Login	—

Iliana Malíhin is one of the more interesting young voices working with Crete’s old vineyards and indigenous varieties. Based in Rethymno, she began reviving neglected vineyards in 2019, working across the mountain villages of Mélambes, Fourfouras and Meronas. The vineyards sit between roughly 560 and 900 meters, where altitude, mountain air and large day-to-night temperature swings help preserve acidity and slow ripening.

The focus is firmly on Crete’s native grapes, particularly Vidiano, Thrapsathiri and Liatiko, with older vineyards also containing Plyto, Melissaki, Kotsifali, Mavroromeiko and other varieties that have traditionally been planted together. Some of the most important vines are pre-phylloxera, with parcels in Mélambes and Fourfouras reaching 90–140 years old and, in some cases, more than 150 years.

Farming is done by hand, with dry-farmed vineyards, minimal tillage and an emphasis on keeping the soils alive. Rather than treating the old mixed vineyards as a problem to be cleaned up, Iliana sees their diversity as an important part of Crete’s viticultural heritage. Her growers are active partners in the work, from pruning through harvest, helping keep these old vineyards in production and the communities around them connected to the land.

The wines follow the same philosophy: native yeasts, no additions, no filtration and very little sulfur. The range moves from fresh, energetic expressions of young-vine Vidiano to serious single-vineyard bottlings from ancient vines, along with Thrapsathiri, a traditional field blend from a century-old mixed vineyard, and Liatiko in both rosé and red form. The old-vine Vidianos from Amygdalos and Fourfouras are particularly compelling examples of how much variation can exist within Crete depending on site and altitude.

These are compelling, complex, storied wines. They are deeply tied to the mountain vineyards of Rethymno and to the Cretan varieties that have adapted to them over generations. Iliana Malíhin is essentially doing the important work of rediscovering what was already there—and putting it in bottle with as little interference as possible.