A bottle of Italian wine recently set an extraordinary record. It is a 27-liter Primat from the 2016 vintage of Colore, produced by the iconic Bibi Graetz vineyard located in Fiesole, above Florence. This unique bottle was created to celebrate the winery’s entry into the prestigious Place de Bordeaux, a significant recognition for all Italian wine. The selling price was one hundred thousand francs, just over one hundred thousand euros, marking the highest price ever paid for an Italian label.
Seeing wine prices in the three-figure range, even for special formats, has historically been the exclusive privilege of the grand names of Burgundy or Bordeaux. However, exceptions do exist. It is an absolute record for an Italian wine that a collector paid 100,000 Swiss francs (just over 102,000 euros at the current exchange rate) for a unique bottle, a 27-liter of Colore 2016, one of the iconic wines of the eccentric producer Bibi Graetz, with the company’s heart in Fiesole, Tuscany, on the hills of Florence. The purchase was made not at an auction, where such high prices for rare and precious wines are usually reached, but in a specialized high-end wine store, Arvino, in Zurich.
A unique specimen, the 27-liter Colore 2016 by Bibi Graetz was created by Graetz, who grew up in a family of artists and collectors, to celebrate the entry of Bibi Graetz wines into the prestigious “Place de Bordeaux” (where today Italy is the second most represented country after France, a journey initiated by Masseto 2006 in 2009).
Bibi Graetz is known for his creativity and unconventional approach to winemaking. Colore, made primarily from Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Colorino grapes, is appreciated for its complexity and superior quality. The success of this sale highlights the growing importance of Italian wines in international markets and underscores Graetz’s dedication to bringing his wine to globally recognized levels of excellence