Giovanni Russo was born on April 8th 1930 into a peasant family of wine makers.
As a young man he developed a passion and interest for wine and decided to become a wine dealer. Once he met his wife Mariella, a young woman, also from a background of wine makers he decided to spread the business to all of the south of Italy. Three boys were born from this marriage but only Maurizio, the youngest, followed his father’s foot steps with even more enthusiasm and love for the art of wine making. For the 1996 harvest Maurizio decided to turn the family wine farm with a vision to produce only Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC organic wines to reevaluate this ancient territory always suited for the production of wines since the ancient Romans. He also believed in producing smaller quantities of wine in order to ensure quality. His decision to have only direct sales was a very difficult way of selling those days and, Wi-Fi, websites and social media’s were unthinkable then. With word of mouth, the help of wine tastings and vineyard tours Maurizio’s vision came to life. His passion project turned into a successful vineyard boutique . As of today his son Giovanni and daughter Mariella (named after their grandparents) have embraced their father’s dream by helping him with the family business by implementing new marketing strategies and by providing unique offers and experiences for their guests however, they always keep an eye on the vineyard with their father without losing sight of the main goal: “quality”. On Maurizio’s side Ester, his long time partner, with love and passion for good wine, food and, entertainment offers private wine tasting with lunch or cooking class in their home on the vineyard for those who want to enjoy a longer stay. This is the story of our family business who share the same vision and passion for wine making and their territory.
Visit: www.CantinaDelVesuvio.it