Cleto Chiarli | Emilia-Romagna

For a long time Lambrusco’s history has been closely linked to that of the Chiarli family. In 1860 Cleto Chiarli founded the first wine-producing company in the Emilia-Romagna region, following the success that his homemade Lambrusco enjoyed in his restaurant ‘Osteria dell’Artigliere’ in Modena.

In 2001 Mauro and Anselmo Chiarli, Cleto’s great-grandsons and current owners of the company, decided to build a new winery under the founder’s name, Cleto Chiarli. The Chiarli estates, which comprise over 100 hectares of vineyards, are on the undulating alluvial deposits typical of the Padana plain.

The Tenuta Cialdini is named after General Enrico Cialdini, a famous Italian patriot of the Risorgimento. It lies at the foot of the hills, in the Castelvetro municipality, and its soil, mainly composed of silt on a gravel substratum, contributes to the production of excellent Grasparossa grapes, with their specific characteristics: intense red colour and a fruity bouquet. The estate also comprises seven hectares of Pignoletto vineyards, key to the production of Chiarli’s best whites.

The Tenuta Sozzigalli lies in the area best suited for the growth of the Sorbara variety, to the north of Modena close to the Secchia River. The soil is made up of clayey silt, key to the wine’s peculiar light red colour. As a result of a long and scrupulous selection, the vineyards contain the best clones of this ancient grape variety.