Great "little cellar" of Etna. Girolamo Russo Cellars
Old sapling and row vines in the newer vines, on the north side of Etna between 650 and 780 meters above sea level, cultivated with respect for tradition and following the dictates of organic farming.
There are 18 hectares of vineyard area, located in 3 different districts: San Lorenzo, the largest and highest; Feudo and Feudo di mezzo, all included in the territories of Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo.
The native vine is Nerello Mascalese [with small scattered quantities of nerello Cappuccino]. The age of the vines varies from 40 to over 100 years of age, except for a recently planted part, with a yield of about 35 q. per ha. due to the failures created over time and an incisive thinning
and selection during the harvest.
Old sapling and row vines in the newer vines, on the north side of Etna between 650 and 780 meters above sea level, cultivated with respect for tradition and following the dictates of organic farming.
There are 18 hectares of vineyard area, located in 3 different districts: San Lorenzo, the largest and highest; Feudo and Feudo di mezzo, all included in the territories of Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo.
The native vine is Nerello Mascalese [with small scattered quantities of nerello Cappuccino]. The age of the vines varies from 40 to over 100 years of age, with the exception of a recently planted part, with a yield of about 35 q. per ha. due to the failures created over time and an incisive thinning and selection during the harvest.
Lying on the north side of Etna, between 650 and 780 meters, the company owns 18 hectares of vineyards, framed by hazelnut and olive groves.
In 2005 Giuseppe Russo re-founded it and dedicated it to his father Girolamo, wanting to strongly express the need not to disperse the values of his family, interpreting them, at the same time, in a personal and innovative way, building a different wine culture and choosing to stay in the native village, Passopisciaro, the village of the rebirth of the great red wines of Etna.
Giuseppe and his collaborators cultivate the vines organically, according to the peasant tradition: the one that has allowed ancient vineyards, most of them more than centenary, to reach today.
And so, the old sapling plants have been enriched by new vineyards in rows, and the manual processing of the past has been maintained: short pruning, plowing, hoeing, tying, sulfur and copper. In October, during the harvest, the grapes are carefully selected and vinified separately according to the district of origin, so that the soul of each one is reborn in the wine, so rich in aromas, colors, and bitter sweetness.