Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Lambrusco di Sorbara

Profile & Story

Cleto Chiarli is Emilia-Romagna's oldest wine company, founded in 1860 by Cleto Chiarli, who first made the wine to serve at his own osteria in Modena. The Vecchia Modena label is the oldest known record of a bottled Lambrusco, dating to 1890; the modern Premium bottling was revived in the early 2000s to showcase the Sorbara cru from the Sozzigalli vineyard. The winery describes it as the first Sorbara to reach fine-dining tables, helping overturn Lambrusco's old reputation as a simple, cloying wine.

Pairing Recommendation

The winery recommends it with traditional Emilian dishes, tuna nigiri, herb-roasted chicken with new potatoes, vegetable couscous with herbs and citrus, cappelletti in light broth, and dill-cured salmon with sweet mustard.