Michele Chiarlo winery
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Michele Chiarlo was an institution in Piedmont. The winemaker, who died in 2023, was part of the avant-garde that set new standards in terms of quality from 1956 onwards.
When Michele asked his father to study oenology in Alba in the early 1950s, things were still very different in Piedmont. Most people were desperately poor and wine played only a minor role. Apricots brought in much more, and later - thanks to Ferrero - so did hazelnuts. "I persuaded my father to enrol me at the viticulture school in Alba, but I had to fulfil one condition: I always had to bring home good grades." He did so, became one of the best in his field alongside the later equally legendary winemaker Giacomo Tachis and began producing his first own wines in 1956.
He quickly became successful and over the decades was able to acquire vineyards in some of the best crus in the Langhe. These include Cerequio, Cannubi, Asili, Faset, Montestefano, La Court and Rovereto. However, Michele Chiarlo was already interested in more than just Barolo and Barbaresco back then and has made a name for himself with Gavi as well as the wines from Asti. Above all, he developed a love for the Barbera grape, from which almost exclusively rustic table wines were produced before him. in 1974, he produced the first internationally recognised Barbera - with plenty of fruit and silky tannins.
His sons Alberto and Stefano joined the winery in the 1990s and continue the legacy of the "father of Barbera d'Asti and Moscato" with great passion. The estate, which covers over 100 hectares, is still one of the region's flagships today.
© Images: Michele Chiarlo Winery
