Carranco’s Etna wines are made with grape varieties that have always been grown on the slopes of the volcano.
Our vineyards are located 500 metres above sea level on the north face of Mount Etna, amongst scenery that is beyond compare. They have their roots in an unparalleled black soil, rich in minerals and eruptive materials such as ash, lapilli and volcanic sands originating from the crumbling lava flows.
Our wines are made in the cellar according to winemaking techniques that are still linked to local tradition. The red wines ferment in concrete tanks, like they used to in the historic “Palmento” vinification rooms, and we still use large oak barrels for ageing. White wines, on the other hand, ferment in steel tanks and age in temperature-controlled concrete vats.
Carranco aims to tell the story of Etna, exalting its authenticity and uniqueness in a balance between tradition and future.
The Carranco wine label was created after a trip to Japan. It’s hard to imagine a connection between Japan and Sicily, two apparently opposite and incomparable lands. Yet there are many elements which, in exploring the land and the extraordinary culture of the Land of the Rising Sun, reminded us of feelings and moments experienced on Mount Etna. The respect and reverence of the locals towards the volcano; the black earth, which captures fire and the residues of lava flows, and expresses the unique beauty of places that share a symbiotic link with the volcano. They are both islands and, as such, in addition to the cool temperatures due to high altitudes, both enjoy the benevolent influence of the winds that blow in from the sea.
In our opinion, however, the most important element that they share is the volcano. In Japan too, Mount Fuji has aroused fear and respect in the Japanese since ancient times, and, like Mount Etna, it has always conditioned the life and history of the surrounding territory. One is the highest peak in the Land of the Rising Sun and symbol of Japan, the other is the highest active volcano on the Eurasian plate and is the symbol of the Land of the Sun. The book “Sicily: Ancestral Japan” goes so far as to hypothesise that, in prehistoric times, there may have been a disastrous eruption by Etna, causing a migration from Sicily towards the east, to the home of the God of the Rising Sun, in search of a volcano which could represent Etna.
The power and majesty of the volcanoes defines a common thread between two distant realities, both with a strong identity in history and in the territory. This is a combination that has intrigued and fascinated us, which is why it is featured on our labels.
