Lacrima di Morro d’Alba Wine Guide
Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is one of the jewels of the Marche winemaking, a not too structured wine, bordering on the aromatic side, fragrant and involving, but above all, it is a wine with incredible drinkability. We will always call it by its full name, which also includes the city for the simple reason that it is now grown only in the hills around Morro d’Alba, a place that obtained the DOC and cradle of this grape variety.
The tannins are solid, but never rough, the body is slender, there is substance. The structure is given by the pulp and the good acidity, not by heat and tannic power. Even the extract is never pushed to the highest levels, but this does not mean that Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is a predictable wine. Indeed, it is one of the most intriguing and mysterious wines in Italy: it’s just that it is often vinified far too spartanly, preferring the production of very skinny wines.
Just think that Mario Lucchetti produces a great dry Lacrima di Morro d’Alba “Mariaso” from dried grapes, a sort of Amarone from Marche region. And the result is a bomb, a wine with sumptuous charm and crazy aromatic range.
Lacrima di Morro d’Alba bouquet
The nose is a shimmering cornucopia of fruits: strawberries, cherries, berries, there are all, even oranges. Although the most typical perfumes of Lacrima are the floral ones of rose and violet. There is no lack of delicate aromatic herb returns and light spiciness. We are talking about an aromatic vine that does not hide, but rather reveals itself in all its exuberance, offering a solar generosity, however, the variety is not amazing. The scents are those and outlined very clearly, but this is not a problem.
What does Lacrima di Morro d’Alba taste like?
On the palate the same pleasure you smelled before returns: you will feel the same flavors supported by good acidity, a marine flavor that comes from the nearby sea and tannins always present and sprightly. Lacrima is a medium-structured wine, not aggressive, but it certainly does not lack of character and thickness: do not think of a washed-out wine, quite the opposite. Of course, you don’t have to ask him to age in the cellar for dozens of years, no, but its cheerful and convivial pleasure will amaze you.
Production area of the Lacrima di Morro d’Alba wine
As can be easily guessed, Marche’s city of Morro d’Alba and the surrounding hills are the epicenter of the production of this red wine, but also its cradle, since it is here that the first documents relating to the grape appeared. The village of Morro d’Alba is an enchanting village nestled in the rolling hills of the province of Ancora, squeezed between Senigallia in the north and Jesi in the south. If you go on a wine tour for Lacrima, make a detour to Ostra to visit the sanctuary of the Madonna della Rosa, a lovely place.
Types of Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
The most common is the dry Lacrima which usually reaches an alcohol content of 13 degrees, but Lacrima passito version is also very popular, a sweet and velvety meditation wine, excellent with blue cheeses, but also with apple pies and ice cream. In 1985 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba became a DOC and this DOC foresees the production with a minimum of 85% of Lacrima, even if many winemakers, rightly, tend to produce it monovarietal to enhance its strong aromatic qualities.
Certainly, we are at the beginning of a splendid rebirth for Lacrima, a wine that in the past has been the victim of far too imperfect interpretations not very clean and precise. Today the ability of the winemakers of the Morro d’Alba district is growing, so let’s give this wine a chance. The wines will improve year by year, global warming permitting, of course…
Lacrima di Morro d’Alba food pairings
Thanks to its freshness, it is an excellent wine for pairings with the great salami from the Marches, first of all, the Ciauscolo, the legendary spreadable salami. But try it also with truffle, aged cheese like Cheddar, veal with tuna sauce, Vincisgrassi, lamb kebabs, gnocchi with Bolognese, hamburgers, baked lasagna, truffle risotto, pasta Amatriciana, pulled pork, Argentine meat empanadas, burritos, polenta with meat sauce, grilled meat; beef fillet with porcini mushrooms.