Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso a' Rina 2024
We have 10 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Sicily spent 2024 in a drought that cut the island's grape harvest by about 20 percent, yet Etna moved the other way. The Etna DOC consortium forecast a 60 percent jump in wine production over 2023, which downy mildew had battered. The difference is altitude. Girolamo Russo farms the volcano's north slope around Passopisciaro, with vineyards between 650 and 780 meters, set among hazelnut and olive groves. The soils are sciara, lava flows that cooled and broke down over centuries into black volcanic sand. The wine's name says as much: 'a Rina is Sicilian for sand. Height brings cool nights and a long, slow ripening season, which is why Nerello Mascalese from the north side keeps its acidity and perfume in years that cook the rest of Sicily.
The Wine
The Girolamo Russo 'a Rina Etna Rosso 2024 is the estate's blend across its north-slope contrade, built from younger vines, mostly Nerello Mascalese with a little Nerello Cappuccio. The hand-picked fruit is fermented with skin contact, then rests for about a year in large wood and cement before bottling. Large neutral casks shape the tannin without adding oak flavor. Alcohol is 14.5 percent. Etna growers describe 2024 as hot and dry, with late-summer showers that helped the higher sites finish ripening. Expect pale ruby, then wild strawberry, sour cherry, dried rose and crushed stone. Medium body, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity lead to a savory, smoky finish. This is Nerello Mascalese from Etna at its most direct.
The People
Giuseppe Russo did not set out to make wine. He trained as a concert pianist and studied literature before returning to Passopisciaro, where his father Girolamo had farmed the family's Etna vineyards for decades, selling the grapes in bulk to local producers. When Girolamo died in 2005, Giuseppe refounded the estate under his father's name and began bottling the wine himself. He now works vineyards in several north-slope contrade, including San Lorenzo, Feudo, Feudo di Mezzo and Calderara Sottana, much of it old bush-trained Nerello Mascalese, and he vinifies each contrada separately. The single-contrada bottlings sit at the top of the range. 'a Rina is the wine that brings those sites together, and the clearest way into a producer who helped define the modern north side.
Food Pairing
Serve it a little cool, around 60 degrees. Pasta alla Norma with fried eggplant, tomato and ricotta salata is the obvious Sicilian match: the acidity cuts the oil and the red fruit meets the tomato. Grilled swordfish steaks with salmoriglio, the lemon, oregano and olive oil sauce, work because the wine's fine tannin does not fight the fish. Try pork sausages with roasted fennel and onions, where the smoky finish picks up the char. For a vegetarian option, sauté mushrooms with garlic and thyme and spoon them over soft polenta. This is the red to open on a weeknight when you want Etna without waiting for it.
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Sicily, Italy’s largest island, blends ancient wine traditions with a fresh wave of modern creativity. Its star red grape, Nero d’Avola, thrives in the island’s warm, sun-soaked climate, producing intensely flavored wines with dark fruit and a hint of savory spice. Along the western coast lies the historic heartland of Marsala, a fortified wine prized for both sweet and dry styles. Rising above the island’s varied landscapes is Mount Etna, an active volcano whose mineral-rich soils and cooler elevations result in elegantly structured reds and nuanced whites. From coast to crater, Sicily’s wine culture is as diverse and vibrant as the region itself.
Italy - Sicily
Named for its pale color and hometown of Mascali, Nerello Mascalese is a rising star in the wine world. Indigenous to Mount Etna, it was overlooked for decades until recently the world has taken notice of the elegant yet powerfully minerally wines produced on the volcanic slopes. Think halfway between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.
