GHIRA

Damir Mihelić belongs to a group of Istrian winemakers whose goal is to preserve the winegrowing tradition, simultaneously respecting nature and cooperating with it. His family has been engaged in agriculture—primarily viticulture—in the Novigrad area for many years, and Damir has been in touch with this world ever since he was a child. Upon completing his Landscape Management and Planning degree in Gorizia, Italy, he returned home and soon enrolled in an oenological school in Poreč. Together with his father, he leases 19 hectares of land, on which they plant vineyards. Damir worked side by side with his parents, respecting their work, but also coming up with ideas of his own. Over the years, he has managed to reduce yields, start fermenting grapes on indigenous yeasts, and decrease the use of sulphites. Today, he uses alternative means to protect vineyards, such as nettles, algae, and propolis. His journey towards a more sustainable and natural way of work was significantly influenced by Giorgio Clai, a pioneer of Istrian natural winemaking. Damir’s wines boast sincerity and a dedication to work, as well as to family. That is precisely why he named his winery after an old family nickname. He is known for his macerated Malvasia, the “Madura,” which is aged in Tuscan amphorae and represents a reflection of his work philosophy—the potential of Istrian Malvasia, and, one could say, of Istria itself, vastly surpasses the commercial race that dominates the market. We are looking forward to new vintages and ideas from this talented and passionate winemaker.