The Calabretta family arrived in Passopisciaro in the late 1880s, contributing to the construction of the Circumetnea railway and the artistic decoration of the local church. In the early 1900s, Gaetano Calabretta and his wife, Grazia, began cultivating their first vineyards. By the late 1920s and 1930s, a significant part of their wine production was sold in northern Italy, where the family owned a store in Santa Margherita Ligure.

After World War II, their son Michele took over the winery and established a highly successful local distillery. However, in the 1970s, as agriculture on Mount Etna declined, the family gave up most of their land. In the following years, Gaetano Calabretta tried to maintain the remaining structures. In 2010, his son Michele Calabretta—grandson of Michele—along with his wife Claudia, acquired new land in Passopisciaro and the surrounding area. Together, they decided to revive the family’s winemaking tradition under the label Tenuta Boccarossa.

The name “Boccarossa” is a tribute to Mount Etna, symbolizing its unique fiery eruptions and immense energy.