Vino in Florence – Our Visit to the Bibi Graetz Winery

Our friend Jacob really knows wine, and several months ago he had me try the Bibi Graetz Grilli, a wine made from cabernet and merlot grapes. “Grilli” means crickets in Italian, and in Florence to have “Grilli” means to be a dreamer. The label was beautiful, like a beautiful blue painting. It’s All About Wine also carries the Casamatta Rosso – a Sangiovese wine that could be your “everyday red”. I love the name as well – “Casa Matta” means crazy house in Italian. This is a delicious wine to share with friends, especially if you are planning a trip to Italy!

As we were planning our Italian adventure, I decided to look up the Bibi Graetz Winery to see where it was located – and BOOM – it was located really close to Florence, where we would be staying. We decided we needed to go and see where this delicious wine was being made. And since we would be celebrating Tim’s birthday in Florence, it sounded like that would be a great day to visit the winery! I started off by sending an e-mail directly to the winery, and then enlisting the help of the wine store and the distributor who sells this wine … and I’m not sure what did it, but I quickly received an e-mail back that they would be happy to host us! Yahoo!

The Bibi Graetz Winery is located up a hill in the small village of Fiesole, and was only a little over six miles from our Florence hotel. We took a taxi since we weren’t exactly sure where we were going. The winery was easy to find, located in the Piazza Mino de Fiesole. We were greeted warmly by Tatiana, who I had been corresponding with by email.

Tatiana started off by giving us a little backstory about Bibi and his family. Bibi’s father was an accomplished sculptor, as well as a winemaker. You can see some of this father’s sculptures throughout the complex. Bibi has followed in his father’s footsteps, and is also an accomplished artist, which is again displayed throughout the property. You can read more about Bibi and his philosophy here.

The winery is located in two buildings adjacent to each other. One is an old hotel that is used as a wine cellar, storage, and home for Bibi and his family. The building next to it, a disco in a previous life, is separated by a courtyard, and is where the wine is made.

First of all – the view! It was amazing! We were so close to the city of Florence, but it felt far away.

Tatiana took us all through the property, explaining Bibi’s winemaking process, and also pointing out pieces of art by Bibi or his family. The intersection of wine and art was very evident throughout the complex!

At the end of the tour, Tatiana had set up a tasting for us – and she remembered it was Tim’s birthday! She also brought in some focaccia that was some of the best bread we had in Italy. She went through each wine with us, and they were all scrumptious!

After the tasting we explored Fiesole. Our taxi driver had told us there were beautiful views from the San Francesco Convent, so Tim, Sarah, and Susan all decided to hike up there. I started the steep climb, but turned around when we ran into a group of ladies who were on their way down. We had asked them how far up the steep road it was, and one of them said “too far”. That was enough for me! I walked around Fiesole for a bit, and decided that this little village could be my home 🙂

After their hike, we met up at a small restaurant for lunch, Cafe DeJa Vu. This place ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip!

Our stomachs full of food and wine, we took the public bus back down to Florence. It was a great way to start Tim’s birthday celebration! And we will reminisce about our time in Fiesole with Tatiana as we drink Grilli and Casamatta in Springfield. Cheers!