Giuseppe Russo took over the estate in 2004, inheriting his father Girolamo’s 12 hectares on the north face of Etna near Passopisciaro right when the Etna renaissance was blossoming. At 32 years of age, Giuseppe was studied in music and had a phD in literature and knew nothing of wine except what he had absorbed from his childhood growing up in the shadows of this mighty mountain. His intention was to be a pianist, a passion which he still enjoys as a hobby today. His philosophy about making wine always takes into consideration music and composition. As is often the case on Etna where camaraderie thrives, Giuseppe turned to his neighbors and fellow winemakers for knowledge and inspiration when he took over the family property. To this day, he cites specific individuals for helping to instill his current philosophy about winemaking. Humble, reserved and introverted, Giuseppe’s wines have become signature of the power, energy and uncompromising elegance that defines Etna winemaking today.

Giuseppe is also involved in a collaborative project on Etna called “I Suoli, ”(the soils) along with partners Emiliano Falsini, a renowned Italian consultant winemaker, and Dante Pasqua, a longtime friend of Giuseppe and small winemaker himself with a vineyard in Calderara Sottana. The winery’s niche is sparkling wine, as the three men are convinced that Nerello Mascalese and Etnean terroir have a uniquely elegant potential within the naturally re-fermented wine category. They purchased a small vineyard just over one hectare in Contrada Pignatone in Randazzo on the north side of the volcano with the desire to experiment and investigate Etnean viticulture using 100% Nerello Mascalese grapes. Their first vintage was 2018, a fresh year which required great sensitivity and attention in the vineyard but immediately excited them for its elegance and finesse. They decided to produce two wines: an Etna Rosso (a ‘traditional’ expression of the territory) and a Spumante Rosato.

Giuseppe Russo’s vineyard holdings are concentrated in three main parcels between 650 and 780 meters above sea level in Passopisciaro. The vines - predominantly Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, with a bit of Carricante - are almost exclusively trained to alberello (bush trained) with some vines nearing 100 years of age. In total, the estate has 18 proprietary hectares of vineyards framed by hazelnut and olive trees. Giuseppe’s proprietary vineyards are: *San Lorenzo* at the entrance of Randazzo, between 700 and 800 m above sea level, which is characterized by three distinct geological formations dating as far back as 15 thousand years ago; *Piano delle Colombe* with exceptionally complex and porous soils and where Girolamo claimed that the doves (colombe) would always sneak in for the best grapes; *Feudo* and Feudo di Mezzo, dating back to the ancient Greeks who first planted vines in this profound and generous terrain with a unique microclimate influenced by steady winds from the Val Dèmone. *Feudo di Mezzo* is the company headquarters, where in part the soils have been rejuvenated by the volcano’s more recent eruptions and where an undeniable scent of embers and smoke fill the air at all times. At *Calderara Sottana*, the vineyards are spread over two different sciare (lava flows with distinct timing and evolution) and are among the most recently planted thanks to a new law that consented the recovery of personal property and allowed Giuseppe to plant clones from his oldest vineyards, allowing for a vineyard with new force but old soul.

All farming is done according to organic regime, a tradition that Giuseppe has carried on from the generations of farmers before him that have consistently tended this land with care and to which the vines, some nearly 100 years in age, are testimony. Harvest typically takes place in October, and each plot is picked separately.

Giuseppe works with consultant oenologist and longtime friend, Emiliano Falsini. In the cellar, all wines are fermented in small bins with indigenous yeast then aged in a mixture of large (2600 liter) Slavonian oak barrels and cement.