Variety: Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Minnella, Coda di volpe

Giuseppe Russo left his native Sicily for a time, trained as a pianist and music teacher, and studied literature. But when his father, Girolamo, died, Giuseppe returned in 2005 to make “the best wines (I) can in this exceptional, often challenging but uniquely beautiful area.” Although the Russo family calls the area in and around Passopisciaro home, it is an interesting and dynamic place that is attracting winemakers from the all over the world. The Russos have 26 hectares of land, 15 planted to vineyards and the rest to olives and hazelnut groves. Their vineyards are on the north face of Europe’s largest active volcano, Mount Etna, in the north-eastern corner of Sicily.

This wine is named “Nerina” after Giuseppe Russo’s mother. Nerina represents Sicily’s main white varieties. The blend is Carricante, Catarratto, and other indigenous varieties, also blendinging from three well-known contradas. The wine ages in mostly stainless steel and a touch of used oak.