Chiara Soldati

the chief winemaker and an owner of
the legendary Piedmontese farm “La Scolca”,
which is famous for its Gavi Etichetta Nera

“As a mother watches the development of her son, for how his face changes, his inner world, so I watch the evolution of wine”

Chiara Soldati is a single child in the successful family. She had a cozy childhood, the best schools and after education at the Bocconi University in Milan.

Chiara grew up in the winery. One day her father, Giorgio, asked her: “Are you going to farm or what?”. The answer “Or what” was not supposed. At first all the PR of the company was entrusted to Chiara, then she began to help her mother in export markets work, until finally father let her into the holy of holies – the winery. Now she is the co-managing of the house of “La Scolca”. And although she is not an oenologist by education, she is responsible for the technological processes at the winery, and the technical director helps her in this.

“I have been working since I was 18 years old. I studied Latin and Greek in a classical lyceum and at the same time began to help my father in the vineyards. He was very strict and demanding, wanted to make sure that I choose winemaking not to please him, but because it is my personal choice. The most difficult tasks were given to me. I was the first who came to the vineyard and the last who left the cellar. I worked on any sector of winery and everywhere my work used to be the best, no privilege. It was like in military service, and today I’m very grateful to my father for that.

Most of all in the process of creating a wine I like to observe his birth and development. Every year this is something new, magic. You touch the grapes, taste fermented wine, laterin a few months taste it in a bottle, taste it in different parts of the world …”

Chiara is very worried about the family business. In her responsibility is to keep company at that height, as her grandfather and father did. They created world-class wine from the autochthonous white Cortese grape variety in the Genoese wilderness. Today La Scolca Etichetta Nera is one of the symbols of Italy. Chiara is a citizen of the world and ready to talk about her wine with everyone who is interesting in it: “It’s not that I need a new car or yacht, but because “La Scolca” is part of history, part of culture, part of Italian style.”