Archive 

The Chiarli Historical Archive is housed at the company’s production site in Modena and spans approximately 200 linear meters. It offers a detailed and faithful record of the company’s complex production activities and organizational structure, reflecting the operations of a business that has remained under continuous family management since 1860.

A substantial section dedicated to the Chiarli Agricultural Estate is currently being catalogued. This valuable documentation highlights the family’s deep connection to Lambrusco wine, which has been at the heart of the long history of the Chiarli wineries.

In 1860, the founder Cleto, driven by entrepreneurial vision, expanded from a modest production of Lambrusco, barely enough to supply his own tavern, to bottling wine for commercial sale. This rapidly extended beyond the local market, and by the late 1800s, annual production exceeded 100,000 bottles. In 1900, his son Anselmo presented Lambrusco di Sorbara at the Paris Universal Exposition, earning the prestigious Mention Honorable, a milestone that established the company’s prominent standing on both the national and international wine market.

The reorganization of the Archive led to the rediscovery of historical documents, recipe books, correspondence, diplomas, photographs, bottles, and rare equipment, which now form the basis of the Chiarli Gallery, located at Tenuta Cialdini in Castelvetro di Modena.

The Chiarli Archive is officially recognized in Italy’s Register of Historic Enterprises. The Italian Ministry of Culture, through the Superintendence of Archives and Bibliography of Emilia-Romagna, has described the Chiarli Archive as “a significant and in some respects unique heritage” and “a rare example of the preservation of an entire production activity from the Unification of Italy to the present day.”

Museum 

The reorganization of the company’s archive unearthed a wealth of historical documents and rare objects which, thoughtfully curated within a dedicated exhibition space, gave rise to a gallery that traces the legacy of Lambrusco, an ancient wine whose cultural and historical significance has been intimately bound to the story of the Chiarli winery since the mid-19th century.

The Gallery tour begins with a collection of rare sixteenth-century volumes, including L’Opere di Virgilio Mantovano and Opera di Agricoltura by Pietro de’ Crescenzi, which attest to the presence of Lambrusco vines in Emilia since Roman times.

An important section, highlighting the enduring connection between glass and wine, features a collection of rare, hand-blown glassware produced in the Duchy of Este from the 17th to the 19th century. Among these is the notable “English Bottle”, invented in 1652. Thanks to its sturdiness, it overcame centuries-old challenges related to the storage and transport of wine. Its evolution reached Modena in the mid-1800s, enabling Lambrusco to become the sparkling wine we know today.

Through original documents and old photographs from the Chiarli family archive, the narrative takes us back to 1860, when Cleto Chiarli ran the original Trattoria de l’Artigliere. On display are tableware, glasses, and the precious handwritten recipe book of Lucia, Cleto’s wife, authentic materials that recreate the atmosphere of the historic tavern.

It was here that the story of the Chiarli Winery began. With strong entrepreneurial spirit, Cleto began selling his Lambrusco beyond the tavern, successfully launching a business that has been passed down through generations to this day.

The Gallery dedicates a prominent space to the long and uninterrupted journey of Chiarli, showcasing an extensive array of original documents, period objects, letters, antique bottles, historical labels, international awards, and diplomas. Among these, the most prestigious is the “Mention Honorable” awarded to Chiarli Lambrusco at the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition—a milestone that established Chiarli as a benchmark for quality Lambrusco in Italy and abroad.

The exhibition concludes with a brief mention of the Cantina Cleto Chiarli project, completed in 2001.