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Girolamo Russo

'A Rina Etna Rosso 2016

Price: $38.95
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Tasting notes

The 2016 growing season on Etna delivered unusually cool temperatures and well-timed summer rain, resulting in a Nerello Mascalese with vivid red fruit, fresh herbs, and tobacco without the heat of bigger vintages. Unfined and unfiltered, with 10 to 12 days of skin contact and indigenous yeast fermentation, the wine holds real volcanic mineral tension alongside soft, velvety tannins.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Taste profile
CranberryTobaccoRed LicoriceEarth
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; pale ruby; red fruit, tobacco, and volcanic mineral; 14% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Nerello Mascalese with small percentage of Nerello Cappuccio; organic; basalt-volcanic sciare soils; 650-780m elevation, north slope of Mount Etna near Passopisciaro
  • Winemaking: Indigenous yeast fermentation; no temperature control; 10-12 day skin maceration with punch-downs; no fining or filtration; aged in large oak vessels
  • Serving: Serve at 60-64F; 20-30 min decant recommended
  • Pairing: Lamb chops, pasta alla Norma, grilled swordfish, aged pecorino, mushroom risotto
  • Similar To: For fans of village Burgundy Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo who want volcanic terroir and high-altitude tension

'A Rina is the estate-level Etna Rosso from Girolamo Russo, sourced from organically farmed vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna near Passopisciaro in the Province of Catania. The vineyards sit between 650 and 780 meters above sea level, rooted in ancient lava flows called sciare — basalt-derived soils that are mineral-rich, fast-draining, and low in organic matter. Vine age ranges from 20 to over 80 years, trained as free-standing bush vines (alberello) on narrow terraced plots.

The 2016 vintage on Etna was defined by a cool, refreshing summer with well-timed rainfall, delivering grapes with strong aromatic freshness, brilliant color, and balanced tannins without excessive alcohol. 'A Rina is fermented in small, separate lots using indigenous yeasts with no temperature control, 10 to 12 days of skin maceration with punch-downs, and no fining or filtration. The wine sees aging in large oak vessels before bottling unfined.

This is a rare allocation: the California importer and distributor limits accounts to one case per account. James Suckling rated the 2016 vintage of 'A Rina 94 points, citing cranberries, red licorice, fresh herbs, and tobacco with soft, velvety tannins and a long finish. The wine sits at 14% ABV — high for an estate-level wine but consistent with Etna's riper northern contrade in a warm late-harvest year.

Works well with lamb chops, pasta with a tomato-meat ragu, and aged pecorino. The wine's acidity and fine tannins also hold up to grilled swordfish or Sicilian-style eggplant dishes like pasta alla Norma.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2016
Alcohol:, 14%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Sicily
Appellation:, Etna Rosso DOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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Placed an order. What next?

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Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Girolamo Russo

Girolamo Russo was re-established in 2005 by Giuseppe Russo in memory of his father Girolamo, who died unexpectedly that year. Giuseppe had been training as a concert pianist and was pursuing a literature degree before returning to Passopisciaro to take over the family vineyards. The estate is based in Passopisciaro on Etna's north slope.

The estate farms 15 hectares of vineyards spread across several named contrade including San Lorenzo, Feudo, Feudo di Mezzo, Calderara Sottana, and Piano delle Colombe, all situated between 650 and 780 meters above sea level. Many of the free-standing alberello-trained bush vines are over 80 years old, with some parcels exceeding 100 years. Giuseppe farms organically and vinifies each contrada separately.

'A Rina is the estate wine, drawing fruit primarily from younger vines across multiple contrade. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts with no temperature control, followed by 10 to 12 days of skin maceration using punch-downs. The wine is neither fined nor filtered. Aging takes place in large oak vessels. Single-contrada wines — San Lorenzo, Feudo, Feudo di Mezzo, Calderara Sottana, and Piano delle Colombe — are bottled separately and represent Russo's top tier.

Wine region

Sicily, Italy

The Etna DOC sits on the slopes of Mount Etna in northeastern Sicily, Europe's largest active volcano. The appellation was established in 1968 — the first DOC in Sicily — and covers vineyards from roughly 400 to over 1,000 meters above sea level, making it one of Italy's highest-altitude red wine zones. Despite Sicily's Mediterranean climate and latitude, the elevation creates genuinely cool growing conditions with wide diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity in the grapes.

Soils are volcanic throughout, composed of decomposed lava, ash, and basalt sand formed by successive eruptions over hundreds of thousands of years. Each historic district — called a contrada — sits on lava flows of different ages and compositions, giving each parcel a distinct mineral profile. Etna Rosso DOC requires a minimum of 80% Nerello Mascalese, with Nerello Cappuccio permitted up to 20%. The north face, centered around towns including Passopisciaro, Randazzo, and Castiglione di Sicilia, produces the most celebrated expressions of Nerello Mascalese.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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