Bibi Graetz

Bibi Graetz was raised in a family of successful visual artists who also owned a medieval castle surrounded by vineyards in Tuscany. The winemaker has no formal training in wine, nor does he follow any DOC/DOCG regulations. These factors have not diminished his reputation as one of Italy's most gifted and creative winemakers.

In the late 1990s, Graetz began making wine after graduating from Italy's Accademia dell'Arte. Castello di Vincigliatta, the family home, was nearing its end of its contract with the vineyards around it. Graetz was faced with the decision of renewing the contracts or beginning to farm himself. Using local varieties Sangiovese, Colorino, and Canaiolo, he began making wine in 2000. He added white wines to his portfolio two years later, using Ansonica and Vermentino grapes. In Tuscany, he farms over 50 "garden vineyards" filled with old vines. His best-known wine, Testamatta, which means "crazy head," got its name because that is how Graetz is known to people. 

Graetz recently acquired the Hotel Villa Aurora outside Florence for the purposes of producing and aging Testamatta and Coloré, his most prestigious Super Tuscan releases. Graetz, his wife, Benedicte Harper, and their four children will also be able to live in the hotel after it is restored. There are also plans to transform a portion of the building into a boutique hotel, though it is still unclear whether it will be open to the public or available for visiting journalists and wine tradespeople.