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Marco de Grazia
Founder of Tenuta delle Terre Nere
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
From the United States, the importing trade gave Marco de Grazia three decades of direct evidence in how wines move: across countries, through reputations, and into demand. The later focus on Etna did not replace that background; it put it under pressure in one volcanic place. His own assessment keeps the claim in the market as much as the vineyard: “I had sold the most remarkable wines to dozens of countries for thirty years. But I have never sold a wine that everyone wanted as much as these. It’s the power of Etna.”
Coming Up
Formal study at University of Florence, Sorbonne, Rutgers, and Berkeley preceded the wine work and widened the frame for reading place, language, and intent. In importing and estate operation, that kind of context is part of the trade: a wine has to be understood at origin and then made legible at distance. Wine importing became the operating structure in 1980, when Marco de Grazia founded Marc de Grazia Selections. The work depended on producer trust, commercial judgment, and placing wines before demand was fully formed. Over thirty years selling remarkable wines to dozens of countries, selection was only part of the job; the harder craft was translation between cellars, markets, and drinkers. Estate operation brought that importing discipline to a single site when Marco de Grazia founded and began operating Tenute delle Terre Nere in 2002. On Etna, the work narrowed from broad selection to sustained interpretation of place. The continuity is practical: recognize distinction, make it readable, and keep terroir as the governing fact.
Where They Are Now
Tenute delle Terre Nere remains the central working expression of Marco de Grazia’s Etna focus, an estate he has founded and operated since 2002. The role sits on top of earlier formation in the United States, study at University of Florence, Sorbonne, Rutgers, and Berkeley, and the trade platform built through Marc de Grazia Selections in 1980. The present emphasis is concentration rather than range. After selling remarkable wines to dozens of countries for thirty years, Marco de Grazia describes Etna as having a level of pull he had not encountered elsewhere. For the trade, that is a market and site observation: demand, identity, and place lining up with unusual force.
Signature
The named wines show the range of the Etna work as given: Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso San Lorenzo 2023, Etna Rosato DOC, La Vigna di Don Peppino, Le Vigne di Eli Etna Doc Bianco, and Le Vigne di Eli Contrada Calderara Sottana Etna Doc Rosso.
In Their Words “I had sold the most remarkable wines to dozens of countries for thirty years. But I have never sold a wine that everyone wanted as much as these. It’s the power of Etna.”
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Marco
What is Marco de Grazia's current role?
Marco de Grazia is Founder of Tenuta Delle Terre Nere.
Where did Marco de Grazia train or study?
Marco de Grazia trained at University of Florence and Sorbonne.
What recognition has Marco de Grazia received?
James Suckling Italian Wine of the Year for Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso San Lorenzo 2023 (2025).
