Hedele

Andrea Pittana is the talented winemaker behind Kmetija Hedele, a winery in Slovenia. He worked as a viticulturist in Italy, alongside Marco Sara, a producer from Friuli. But he was drawn by the unique soils across the border and set up his own winery in Slovenia’s Vipava Valley. Vines have been planted in the Vipava Valley since at least the 1890s and the area was well-regarded for its wine making as far back as the times of Napoleon and the Austro-Hungarian empire. Andrea has been buying vineyards here since 2011, impressed by the quality of its 65-million-year-old soils, known locally as ponca, which give an incredibly fresh, mineral quality to his wines. Most of his vineyards centre around the picturesque and ancient village of Goče, known for its stone-arched cellars. Here, on the bright white marl and sandstone soils, Andrea has planted Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia Istriana and Chardonnay. His Sauvignon in particular comes from the single, south east facing vineyard, Hedele, which lies 380m above sea level. He farms organically, uses no irrigation and grapes are handpicked. In the winery, grapes are gently pressed and fermented in small oak vats. As a result, they offer plenty of potential for ageing.