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Oh So Pretty - and best of all, delicious too...
Not content with merely making smart wines at Framingham, the ever-industrious Andrew Hedley has also begun to import a small, eclectic range of interesting wines, mainly from the mountainous areas of Europe where he and his wife have enjoyed travelling but also a few that just tickled his fancy under the name ‘Oh So Pretty’. So far one can choose from wines sourced from along the French, Italian, Swiss and Austrian borders including the Val d’Aosta, Alto Adige, Tyrol, Jura/Savoie, plus the Loire and Greece and Andrew is busy planning further exotic shipments of Swiss native varieties and ‘natural’ wines, a movement that is gathering some pace within the industry.
My first foray into the box of treasures I ordered yielded the 2007 Weingut Gottardi Sudtiroler Blauburgender Mazzon – Pinot Noir from the Sudtirol in Italy's Alto Adige (looks Austrian, sounds Austrian... is Italian - tricky beasts those foreigners...). According to Andrew’s accompanying notes, “Bruno Gottardi is known in Austria as a great wine 
expert and wine merchant with shops in Innsbruck and Vienna. Recently, he has also acquired a reputation as an excellent wine producer. In 1986 he bought Sarnheimhof, a winery located in the village of Mazzon, in the wine-growing region of Unterland, the heart of Südtirol’s best Blauburgunder area or Blauburgunder-Himmel as they say locally. Having replanted the vineyard, training the vines on wires, he built a new winery, and in 1995 produced his first vintage.”
expert and wine merchant with shops in Innsbruck and Vienna. Recently, he has also acquired a reputation as an excellent wine producer. In 1986 he bought Sarnheimhof, a winery located in the village of Mazzon, in the wine-growing region of Unterland, the heart of Südtirol’s best Blauburgunder area or Blauburgunder-Himmel as they say locally. Having replanted the vineyard, training the vines on wires, he built a new winery, and in 1995 produced his first vintage.”All new to me and I poured the wine with interest – lovely pale ruby colour, an enticing bouquet of spicy ripe strawberries, raspberry and maraschino cherry laced with seasoned oak, a full rich palate – New World pinot lovers will approve – light and elegant on the palate with a firmness coming from both the wine’s inherent acidity and the perfectly integrated oak anchoring the ripe fruit. A nice earthiness is laced through the cranberry/cherry palate with good length and a lovely clean, dry spicy finish that sends you back for more.
At around $40, this is a steal for something that is both great quality, delicious drinking and will exercise your brain as well as palate should you be so inclined. If you are looking to expand your horizons and try something different, contacting Andrew (Ohsopretty2010@rocketmail.com) for his list of wines would be a smart move indeed. I am now eagerly anticipating the rest of the box – watch this space.
(EJ)