Azienda Agricola Testamatta is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

run by Bibi Graetz, a winemaker of artist background from

/ Norwegian heritage, who produces several Tuscan wines from

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s located in the hills of

Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. ...

that overlook the city of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. Graetz has been described as a "cool winemaker" and "one of the rising young stars in Tuscany". The wines are all classified as Toscana IGT.

History

Perhaps due to his partial Norwegian ancestry, his mother Sunniva Graetz née Rasmussen married to the Swiss-Israeli sculptor

Gidon Graetz Gidon Graetz (; 29 November 1929 – 3 June 2025) was a Swiss-Israeli-born Italian sculptor. He studied in the mid-1950s at Accademia delle Belle Arti in Firenze and at Les Beaux-Arts in Paris. Life and career Graetz was born on 29 November 19 ...

, Bibi Graetz and his wines have received a great deal of attention from Norwegian press since the first vintage of 2000.Buzzi, Kirsten, ''Dagbladet'' (August 2, 2003)
Norsk vinbonde gjør stor suksess i Italia
Marthinsen, Tom, ''Dagens Næringsliv'' (May 29, 2007)
Pengene, slitet og drømmene
Marthinsen, Tom; Bø, Merete, ''Dagens Næringsliv'' (September 21, 2008)
Lidenskapelig galskap
Jacobsen, Aase, ''Verdens Gang'' (August 12, 2009)
Bra vin, bra priser = bra sommer
Marthinsen, Tom; Bø, Merete, ''Dagens Næringsliv'' (January 21, 2009)
Nok en god vin fra Bibi
Originally an arts graduate from Academia dell'Arte in Firenze, Graetz began wine production in the late 90s after facing the decision to either allow old lease contracts of the old vineyards surrounding his home at the Castello de Vincigliata to expire, or to make use of them. In collaboration with the winemaker

Alberto Antonini Alberto Antonini (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian Oenology, oenologist and grower-producer, as well as a consultant to a large number of wineries in various countries including Italian wine, Italy, American wine, the U.S., Argentine wine, Argentin ...

, with whom he worked for four years, the production became highly successful at an early stage. Graetz produces all label artwork himself.Salvesen, Geir, ''Aftenposten'' (September 12, 2009)
Norsk tornado i Toscana
Favourable scores from Robert Parker, and in particular a score of 98 for the Testamatta 2006 from ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine, wine culture and wine ratings. It is the flagship publication of M. Shanken Communications, which also publishes ''Cigar Aficionado'', ''Whisky Advocate'', ''Market Watch' ...

'',Kramer, Matt, ''The Oregonian'' (January 04, 2009)
Matt Kramer weighs the merits of multiple vineyard sources
/ref>Dalheim, Ulf, ''Adresseavisen'' (March 6, 2009)
Norsk kunsteventyr på flaske i Toscana
was followed by a November 2008 press release declaration by the township of Fiesole, as the score was proclaimed to have "made Fiesole a full-fledged member on the map of the great wines of Italy and the world". Despite imprecise commentary that designates Graetz' wines as

Super Tuscans Tuscan wine is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are pri ...

, the wines are exclusively made from traditional Italian grapes, and receive moderate amounts of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

treatment. Graetz' mid-range wine Soffocone di Vincigliata was banned from U.S. import due to regulations that permit no wine label to feature any type of sexual imagery. This did not come into effect until Graetz had made public the explanation that his Vincigliata vineyard is a favoured destination for local young lovers, and "soffocone" is a crude Firenze term for

fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a human penis, penis by using the mouth. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed ''fellat ...

, at which point the figurative label depiction was seen in a new light.Dalheim, Ulf, ''Adresseavisen'' (November 27, 2009)
Bibi sensurert i USA
Zalaznick, Jeff, ''Always Hungry New York'' (February 17, 2009)
What’s In A Name?: Soffocone di Vincigliata
A revised label image was later permitted for U.S. import.

Production

Graetz manages of vineyards, though of those he is himself the owner of . Among the winery's bottlings are the flagship wine Testamatta, ("Hothead"), in recent years a 100%

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

with an average production of , the limited production cuvée Colore di Testamatta from three equal parts Sangiovese,

Canaiolo Canaiolo (), also called Canaiolo nero or Uva Canina, is a red Italian wine grape grown through Central Italy but is most noted in Tuscany. Other regions with plantings of Canaiolo include Lazio, Marche and Sardegna. In Umbria a white berrie ...

and

Colorino Colorino is a red Italian wine grape variety planted primarily in Tuscany (wine), Tuscany. The grape is known for its deep dark colouring and is used primarily as a colouring agent in red blends. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course' ...

, with an average production of and Canaiolo di Testamatta from 100% Canaiolo, with a production of . Additionally the Soffocone di Vincigliata made from single-vineyard grapes with a blending proportion of 90% Sangiovese, 7% Colorino, 3% Canaiolo has an average production of and Grilli del Testamatta ("Hothead’s Whims"), 80% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino, 10% Canaiolo, with a production of function as

second wine Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

s. The entry label Casamatta (literally

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...

, commonly "crazy house") made from 100% Sangiovese sourced widely from Tuscany has a production of and is in some markets sold in bag-in-box. The winery also produces white wines, among which are the Bugia ("lie") bianco and Cicala del Giglio from the

Ansonica Ansonica or Inzolia is a white Italian wine grape planted primarily in western Sicily where it can be used to produce Marsala wine. The grape is noted for its nutty aroma. In Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central ...

grape sourced from the island of Giglio, and Bianco di Casamatta, widely sourced from Tuscan

Vermentino Vermentino is a light-skinned wine grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in both Sardinia and Liguria, to some extent in Corsica, in Piedmont under the name Favorita, and in increasing amounts in Languedoc-Roussillo ...

grapes.

References

Bibi Graetz winery facts

Skurnik Wines Skurnik Wines & Spirits is a wine and spirits importer and distributor in the United States based in New York City. It represents over 800 brands. History Skurnik Wines & Spirits was established in 1987 by Michael Skurnik. Skurnik began his car ...

;Footnotes

External links

Bibi Graetz official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Testamatta, Azienda Agricola Wineries of Italy