Who we are..
Our passion for wine and the spectacular nature on Mount Etna took us to reestablish the old family tradition of producing wine. The unique landscape, the high level of minerality of the vulcanic soil that can be reflected in the grapes and the particularity to make wine on the slopes of an active vulcano are exeedingly fascinating.
Michele Calabretta is the forth generation of one of the ancient Families of Passopisciaro, that have been producing and commercializing wine since the 1880s. His wife Claudia comes from lower Franconia in Germany, where she grew up working in the local wineries.
When they both met in 2010 they made their first wine together that was called “Il Claudia”: it was not only a declaration of love to Claudia, but also the beginning of a new joint adventure by experiencing the wine yards on the northern side of Mount Etna and experimenting in the wine cellar after harvesting the Nerello Mascalese grapes year for year.
In 2018 they put their dream and project on a professional scale and they do their best to produce high quality Etna wine combining tradional knowledge and modern techniques.
The History
The Calabretta Family came in the late 1880s to Passopisciaro where they were involved in the construction of the Circum Etnea and the artistic decoration of the local church. In the beginning of the 19th century Gaetano Calabretta and his wife Grazia started to cultivate the first vineyards. In the late 1920s and the 1930s a great part of their production was sold in northern Italy where the family owned a store in Santa Margherita Ligure.
After the second world war, son Michele took over the winery and set up the local distillery that was very successful. When in the 1970s the agriculture on Mount Etna was in decline the family gave almost all grounds away. In the following years his son Gaetano Calabretta tried to maintain the remaining structures. In 2010 the son of Gaetano and grandson of Michele named Michele Calabretta together with his wife Claudia – both appassionate wine lovers – aquired new land in Passopisciaro and the sourrounding area and decided to re-establish the old family tradition. The old distillery is about to become their wine cellar.