An Afternoon at the Cleto Chiarli Estate

We weren't even planning on visiting the Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Winery in Castelvetro near Modena, however, when we were invited to participate in the Discover Ferrari & Pavarotti Land Tour I noticed that it was one of the tour stops and figured.... why not! As soon as we pulled up to the driveway of the historic Estate I knew it was going to be an incredible experience. This winery has been producing sparkling wine for 150 years and have won many prestigious awards for their "Vecchia Modena Premium" Lambrusco.

CLETO CHIARLI & The Lambrusco Wine

Lambrusco wine has a reputation that does not do it justice, thanks to the exportation of the mediocre quality, mass produced stuff that often makes its way onto shelves. I can guarantee you I was 100% against Lambrusco wine until I tasted my first bottle of the "Vecchia Modena Premium" by the Cleto Chiarli Winery....it is something else.

The Winery's founder Signor Chiarli began making Lambrusco in 1860 and won international accolades when he presented his Lambrusco wine at the World's Fair in Paris in 1900. I've often wondered about the impact the EXPO can have for the hosting country and now I realize that it's an opportunity to present a completely unknown product to foreign markets which can launch an industry to stratospheric success, creating a legacy that lasts for generations and puts both producers and their territory in the international spotlight.

Incidentally, the EXPO is being held in Milan RIGHT NOW, and many of Italy's food specialties are on display for the World to enjoy. I've written about the EXPO here also 5 reasons why I think every Italian should attend, along with 20 things to do with kids at the EXPO if you do go!

Discover Ferrari & Pavarotti Land

I would have never thought of visiting the Cleto Chiarli Estate on my own or with my family. It just so happened to be on one of the routes of the new tour called " Discover Ferrari & Pavarotti Land ", a fantastic initiative that is perfect for tourists visiting Modena in large groups, as a family or as a couple. This winery was one of the stops and included a full tour (in Italian and English!) and tasting.

The tour operator has thought of every last detail and I will be reviewing the Discover Ferrari & Pavarotti Land Tour in-depth next week. I only WISH that this tour had existed three years ago, when my husband and I were married, and all of my family came to visit us from Canada!

I wanted to do so many things with them, but found that organizing transportation, meals and events with such a large group was difficult, this tour would have been perfect. It includes everything a tourist would possibly want to do in the area from visiting a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy farm, to visiting the Ferrari Museum in Maranello or the new MEF - the House of Ferrari Founder Enzo Ferrari (which is EXCELLENT btw and I've written about it here), to going to a Balsamic Vinegar Acetaia to see how traditional balsamic vinegar is made or even to a Lambrusco winery!

The Beauty of the Po Valley with Children

Modena is located in the Pianura Padana, the Padan Plain which is the Valley of the Po River, so its countryside is flat and very fertile. I love taking my son to the countryside to pick wine grapes for the Vendemmia, which I've written about here and here. There are so many agricultural companies here, that it is no wonder that it is home to many of Italy's Fattorie Didattiche, Italy's teaching farms which I've written about here.

I think my little man is a country boy at heart because he could honestly spend all day wandering through the grape vines imagining who knows what and loosing himself amongst the leaves.

Dressing for the Estate - What I Wore

I LOVE when we plan to spend the day out in "the country" because I have an excuse to dress the part and pretend as though I am the lady of the Estate.

I wore a see through cropped sleeve Chloé blouse paired with a demin Zara skirt, Jones NY leather bag and leather ZIGI New York wedges. My python belt was created by my husband at his artisan leather belt factory and is actually a shortened version of a sleek men's buckle-less belt.

The Happiness Boutique

My necklace was a gift from the Happiness Boutique, an online jewelry boutique specializing in the hottest trends and unbeatable prices. They also have a fantastic loyalty program which is great because believe me, with their selection you'll be buying more than one item .... a month! If you follow me on Instagram you know I've been wearing my their tassel chain necklace non-stop, it has become my new summer staple so expect more looks featuring the Happiness Boutique. This necklace is still available at an incredible price here!

A special thank you to both the Happiness Boutique for my beautiful necklace and the Discover Ferrari & Pavarotti Land Tour for this incredible day, more on both of them to come!