Cilić Winery

Vineyards

First harvests, our guide

Sun-drenched all day, protected by the wind, they offered an opportunity for THE GAME OF WINEMAKING – because serious wines are produced in the vineyard, and then all the potential of the terrain, climate, selected variety, and invested work is transferred into the bottle.

The first harvests showed us the direction for the style and profile of the wine, to which we remain consistent from vintage to vintage. Awaiting and looking forward to every coming one!

Vineyards

Roots of tradition in every vine

Our viticultural story begins with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, very subjectively, with our favourite wine varieties.

In parallel, we also started growing Muscat Hamburg for distillation and production of grape brandy (lozovača). As the estate expanded, we strived to plant a variety on each plot that would yield the best result for that position, soil, and microclimate.

Vineyards

Our Viticultural Story

Today, on 18 hectares, we grow Sauvignon Blanc and the local Morava, as well as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a little Petit Verdot. 5 types of soil, from deep luvisols (gajnjača), through sandy and gravelly terrains, all the way to sandstone rock, largely define the position of each variety individually. We grow the same variety on different rootstocks, in some varieties we rely on clonal selection, while with Sauvignon Blanc we prefer population, i.e., a set of natural varieties within the variety. For all new plantings, we use genetic material from the oldest plantings on our estate.

The emphasis is on the work in the vineyard, with the idea of transforming the nurtured potential of the grapes into the bottle. Based on experience, each plot has its own tank, and the cultivation of grapes is led with the idea of the desired style and character of the wine.

The Creation Process

of wine
AGING
The Fermentation Process
The winery facility is modern, functional, and contemporarily equipped, making the processing itself a kind of enjoyment for the participants. After fermentation, red wines and a portion of the white wines mature in barrels of Serbian and French oak, while fresh white and rosé wines age in standard and egg-shaped stainless steel tanks. CILIĆ estate wines are characterful, layered, and complex. Fruitiness and minerality alternate with aromas of oak, and they show their true strength only after a few years in the bottle.
DISTILLATION
Orchards
Orchards came as a defensive belt around the vineyards – a defence against weeds, pests, and neglected surrounding plots. Combining the pleasant with the useful, today the plantings feature old Serbian plum varieties – Crvena Ranka, Belošljiva, Trnovača, and Moravka. Our own base for distillation.
DISTILLERY & BRANDIES
The beginnings of distillation at the "Cilić Estate" are linked to 1986 when Zoran Cilić, the doyen of Yugoslav winemaking, started more seriously distilling and producing his brandies, then called "M&M Fruit Brandies." At the first fairs, the highest scores and numerous awards were given for traditionally produced brandies, where from day one the greatest attention was paid to the quality of the raw material, fast fermentation, and timely and slow distillation. Everything else required time. Today, the distillery building is also a place for demonstration distillation on 3 different stills, with different ways of heating the pomace, as well as different energy sources. For every idea, an infinite number of options.
Experience Our World of Wine