Chiodi Ascona

From beer to Merlot, a winemaking tradition spanning more than a century. The history of Azienda Chiodi SA and the Arnaboldi family is probed through the decades, intertwining the destinies of viticulture with the legacy of a passion handed down from generation to generation.

At the end of the nineteenth century, in a period of history fundamental to modern viticulture and technological innovation, the Arnaboldi family, even before the importation of Merlot vines from the Bordeaux region, laid the roots of an adventure destined to mark the Ticino and Swiss wine scene.

1956 marks a key chapter: Attilio Arnaboldi, the grandfather, acquires the old grotto Chiodi in Ascona on the shores of Lake Maggiore. He thus began brewing beer and offering Italian wines, expanding the old cellar and building new warehouses that became the beating heart of an evolving winemaking tradition.

In the 1970s, Fabio Arnaboldi, the eldest son, took over the reins of the winery, specializing in the sale of French wines and starting his own productions. Bordeaux-style "Tre Terre" and "Rompidée" produced with grapes from Terre di Pedemonte, aged in prestigious French oak barriques, were born.

The year 2005 marked a turning point: with the loss of his father, Andrea, a talented winemaker, took over and created two new successful wines: "Ultima Goccia," soft and structured, and "Prima Goccia," an intriguing blend of white grapes fermented in barriques.