What the Winery Says

This Nero d’Avola, the most famous grape of the island of Sicily, offers beautiful aromas of licorice, blackberries and blueberries, followed by a medium-bodied, supple texture. This delicious wine has considerable character and a finish that is long and elegant.

Technical Analysis:

Varieties: 100% Nero d’Avola

Alcohol: 13%

Acid: 5.55 g/L.

Vinification: Temp controlled tanks, extended maceration on the skins

Vineyard: Altitude of the vineyards- 100-200 meters; density- 4500 vines per hectare; Vine training- Cordon Spur: Soil - Sandy and Stony

About the Winery

Sabino Russo is winemaker for Masseria del Fauno, Terramia, and Contemassi.

He is originally from Bari, in the Puglia region, but he now works and lives in Tuscany with his family—his wife, Chiara, and three children. Sabino is 36 years old and is very experienced; he is considered one of the rising stars of Italian winemaking.

He began his studies at a young age in the best college for oenology in Piedmont; and he completed his preparation in the finest wine university in Trentino, San Michele all’Adige. He gained experience working in the wine industry in Germany and in South Africa before coming to Tuscany.

Together with Piergiorgio Castellani, Sabino is responsible for the quality of the wine that you will enjoy. Sabino welcomes your comments on our wines. He is happy to learn from our customers and to be at the service of those who choose our wines.

SABINO RUSSO, Interview by Mark Mazur, Wine Enthusiast

You started to apply yourself to oenology when you were very young. Where have you gained your first experiences?

I remember the wine-harvests in the summer in Puglia. In the shadow under the wide-spreading tendrils, I was standing on a wooden case, cutting off the grapes, surrounded by cheerful people, chatting in dialect. I was a little boy then. My grandfather owned around 200 hectares of vineyards in the province of Foggia, and a small cellar. I owe him the passion for my job, which I cultivated later on through my studies. At the age of 13, I started to attend one of the most important Institutes of Oenology in Italy, the Oenological School Umberto I in Alba (Piedmont), directed by the famous prof. W. Salati. The fog of this typical area called “Langhe” and the students’ spirit have definitely consolidated my passion. I continued my studies in San Michele all’Adige, where for 3 years and a half I absorbed the scientific rigor through a first -rate teaching. My staying in Trento gave me the opportunity to gain experience in the field of “extreme viticulture” in the Mosel and Ahr valleys, where I attended the Geisenheim University.

At the age of only 27, you took upon yourself the responsibility for the technical management of one of the most important Italian wine-producing companies. How did you achieve such a result?

After some international experiences in Europe and South Africa, I was chosen to work as the Oenologist’s assistant at Castellanis in Tuscany. Working in Tuscany can be considered as the final destination in an oenologist’s career. I was given this opportunity at the beginning: I took upon myself growing responsibilities, enriching progressively my technical competences and professional experiences. Finally, this has led me to be in charge of the technical management of the company.

Today not only do I run the cellars and the bottling plant in Santa Lucia, but I’m also the technical supervisor of the wine-cellars of Burchino estate, situated in the hilly area of Pisa, and of the Campomaggio estate at Radda in Chianti, and work together with the agronomists on the management of the family-controlled vineyards.

What are the most important aspects of your work?

My highest ambition as an oenologist is the achievement of such an expressiveness in the wines, which is never plain or homologated, but representative, as much as possible, of the territory and its culture. Most of my care is devoted to finding this expressiveness in historical vines, as for example the Sangiovese, which, although it is one of the greatest Italian vines, often generates wines without a precise identity.

Rediscovering minor vines and, if convenient, making good use of woods, can serve to enrich vines such as the Sangiovese, the Nebbiolo and the Primitivo, just to name a few. Not only do they express the history of the great Italian regions, but they grant, now more than ever, new vigor to the entire Italian viticulture, defending its primary role against the upcoming of the great commercial phenomena of the new world.