The winery is located in the municipality of Ceglo in the wine-growing area of Goriska Brda (Gorizia Hills) in the Slovenian wine-growing region of
Primorska, right on the Italian border. It has been owned by the Kristanèiè family since 1820. The tradition of the Movia house was never interrupted, not even in the difficult times under socialist Yugoslavia. Thanks to father Mirko (born 1930), it was allowed to remain the only private wine producer. From 1949 to 1971, it was the only official wine supplier for the state protocol or at state banquets and for President Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980). The tradition of the house was continued by son Ales (born 1966), who, after his studies in Slovenia, obtained his diploma at the enology school in Veneto and practised at the
Château Pétrus and
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wine estates. Ales Kristanèiè is considered a Slovenian star winemaker and advocate of the modern wine style based on local traditions and was the first in Slovenia to start barrique ageing. The vineyards cover a total of 22 hectares of vines, 14 of which are in Gorika Brda and 8 over the border on the Italian side in the
Collio Goriziano DOC area. Special attention is also paid to the cultivation of autochthonous grape varieties.
Since 2005, the winery has been in the official conversion phase for certification as an organic winery. However, all wines have been produced according to
biodynamic principles since 1989. Movia is a member of the organic association
La Renaissance des Appellations. The vineyards are divided into three groups: young vines, old vines and cru sites. The wines are produced in three lines. Vila Marija is the name of the classic wines. The white wines are matured in stainless steel, the red wines in oak barrels with a volume of 2,500 litres. The bottles with the silver Movia label contain wines from specially selected single vineyards. The black Movia label identifies top wines from cru sites that have been aged in barriques. About 100,000 to 120,000 bottles of wine are produced annually, of which about 80% are exported to Germany, the USA, Japan, Italy, Croatia and Australia, among others. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines and grape brandies are also produced.
