Cantine Russo

The Russo family's winemaking tradition began two centuries ago and has been handed down from father to son until today. It all began in 1860 when the Russo family devoted itself exclusively to the cultivation of their vineyards, located in the area of Solicchiata, Municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia. In 1955, Don Ciccio along with his son Vincenzo, the current owner decided to bottle the wine produced from the family vineyards, creating a small winery. The first wine was bottled in 1956 and was called Solicchiata, named after the town where Don Ciccio and Vincenzo were born. The Etna D.O.C. certification was recognized in 1968, the same year in which the brand name was changed to Rusvini. Today the family business is recognized as Cantine Russo. Today, with their father, Gina and Francesco with their experience creating a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. The winery is set amongst the family vineyards, which is located on the North East side of Mt Etna, Europe's largest active volcano. The vineyards stretch between 650 and 1000 meters above sea level, in the districts of Crasà, Piano Daini and Rampante. The climate is generally dry and well-ventilated, with significant temperature variations between day and night, providing ideal conditions for grape growing especially during the period of grape ripening. The different volcanic substrate's vary from one vineyard to another, depending on the district in which they are localized. The vineyards in Crasà, for example, are unique because the volcanic soil is mixed with clay sediment dating back to the pre-quaternary era, therefore resulting in an area of land with a different structure and slightly higher pH level compared to recent soils from only volcanic lava that have a lower pH level and a stony structure, which in Sicilian dialect is called "ripiddu". On Etna there are substantial differences and variations with the microclimatic, that change from one part of the volcano to the other, due to the special position of Etna and to its morphology. The territory, micro- climate and volcanic soil rich in minerals, together with the unique characteristics of the indigenous grape varieties, are the key to produce these unique wines. In fact the Etna wine region was the first Sicilian wine area to obtain recognition of Controlled Denomination of Origin (D.O.C.).

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Our Cantine Russo Wine