Villa Russiz

Some top wineries are small, family-owned farms; others are the hobbies of wine-loving millionaires spending the money they have made elsewhere. Many are old historical estates with aristocratic connections. Villa Russiz, however, is the only one we know of that is essentially a charity that supports orphaned children.

The vineyards occupy 30 hectares of the estate; the soils are rich in marl and planted on south-facing slopes. The vines are planted at a very high density of around 6000-7000 plants per hectare in order to ensure maximum flavour in each bunch. The wines are always rich and concentrated, dry and fresh. Of the whites only the Chardonnay sees any oak, the others rely on the ripeness of the fruit for their power and intensity.