Decended from more than seven generations of esteemed wine growers, Michele Chiarlo is today one of the most respected producers of fine wine in Piedmont and a leading figure in its viticultural industry.

A Piedmont Pioneer

Chiarlo began producing wine in 1956, shortly after graduating from the enology college at Alba. At the time, distribution of Piedmontese wines was confined almost exclusively to the region, but in the mid-1960s Chiarlo began seeking export markets for his wines in Europe and the U.S.—pioneering recognition for fine Italian wines long before such markets existed. In the 1980s, when a style revolution occurred in Barolo, Chiarlo was one of the first to limit vineyard yields, decrease maceration time, introduce temperature control and adopt new oak barrels to create a softer, more accessible style of Barolo that remained true to both tradition and varietal character.

Community Interests

Chiarlo’s ceaseless innovation, both in production and in marketing, has gained him the respect of his industry. He is a counselor of long standing representing Piedmont in the Unione Italiana Vini; president of the Italian Union of Exporters of Wines; past president of the regional Consortium for Quality Control and Promotion supporting Barbera d'Asti, Barbera del Monferrato, and Grignolino del Monferrato; and in the mid-1980s assumed a founding position on the board of directors of the then newly created Italian Wine and Food Institute, focused on the discriminating promotion of quality Italian wines and foodstuffs in the United States.