Among the poetic hills of Morro d’Alba, the Marche region hides the magical secular history of another wonderful indigenous Italian oenological son, “Il Lacrima”.
Warm colors, of a purple or ruby red, sometimes slightly “scratched” by delicate violet reflections, intense aromas that pamper the nose with sweet notes of fruit jam, cinnamon, cocoa, dried rose and much more, young and jaunty , the tannins tickle the hypnotized palate, immersed and entranced by the velvety sugary softness assisted by an extraordinary taste-olfactory persistence.
“… from a tear on the face …” sang the great Bobby Solo in the Sanremo Festival of ’64, instead it is from a sweet tear on the grape that “the Lacrima”, native vine of the enchanting municipality of Morro d ‘Alba in the province of Ancona begins to express all the character that his “maman terroir” has been able to offer him.
Those peculiar lesions on the skin and those tears of juice that are formed at the moment of full ripeness have always represented a cross and delight of this vine, because, if on the one hand this particularity (also taken up in its own name) assisted by a richness of tannins and anthocyanins give the wine from which it obtains its own decisive character connotations that veer between softness and angularity, from other, these characteristics also put a strain on those who cultivate this vine as they must try to lose as little juice as possible from the grape during ripening and also must be able to manage the fermentation virulence of the must extracted from it.
For thousands of years this ancient oenological fruit has been gently cradled among the harmonious rolling hills of the very small Marche village that like a real mother gives it all its being with love: with gentle caresses the fertile soil, mainly composed of clay, rich in sodium and potassium, given the presence behind it of rocky and mineral mountain lands and with a good presence of sand donated by the sea in front of it, nourishes it with intensity, strength and immense elegance; with loving authority the climate, influenced by the mitigating marine activity to the west and the imposing Apennine mountains to the east, ideal for viticulture, educates it perfectly and gives it a completely harmonious character; And finally it is the warm kiss of the summer sun that starts the maturation of this delicious “newborn”, and loads it more and more with colors, scents and flavors, until it explodes in a lively cry of happiness made of sweet and juicy tears, those the same tears that have made it unique all over the world and that the skilful hand of the winemaker from the Marches has managed to transform into a precious wine, “the Lacrima” precisely “the Lacrima di Morro d’Alba”.
With its being such a refined seducer, this wine has always enchanted the senses of the most illustrious men in world history who, passing through Morro D’Alba and beyond, could not escape the charm of the irresistible call of that sweet divine juice that the god Bacchus gave him.
In fact, “la Lacrima” has always been able to amaze also for its history, full of magic and mystery. It is a vine with very ancient origins, it seems that it makes its appearance already in some writings deriving from the Roman era, it is said that the first mention is already in 1167 when Frederick I Barbarossa during the siege of Ancona preferred precisely the imposing castle in the beautiful walled village of Morro d’Alba as his residence and shelter, and it is on that occasion that the Morrese inhabitants in exchange for his protection were obliged to give him the most delicious and precious products of their territory, including the famous ‘nectar of Morro’ and for the emperor it was a “first sip” love. Furthermore, it is certain that this vine is also mentioned in various chronicle texts dating back to the time of the other great Roman Emperor, Frederick II.
After this period of great protagonism, the inexplicable historical void: for decades, “Il Lacrima”, even up to the seventies, was cultivated in an unknown form because only and exclusively the Morresi were informed of the existence of this native vine and on the peculiarity of the wine obtained from it.
Incredibly, in the late seventies it was even facing extinction due to the aforementioned complexity in cultivation and winemaking.
Fortunately, in the early eighties, the Morrese company Stefano Mancinelli, with so much love for that tender oenological son of his mother earth and with “patriotic” pride, miraculously managed to save “Il Lacrima” from disappearance.
Later, also other producers in the area with the support of the public administration, began to work to be able to “reborn” that product that had been so mistreated in recent years with the belief that instead it could now be deservedly revalued and made known in all the world.
The great territorial activity carried out between companies and local institutions, has extraordinarily allowed the recognition in 1985 of the DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, which includes the entire areas of the municipalities of Morro d’Alba, San Marcello, Belvedere Ostrense, Ostra, Monte San Vito and that of the municipality of Senigallia with the exception of the parts facing the sea, in the classic and new variants, but also the passito and superior variants inserted only a few years later.
To complete the enormous work, on October 16, 1999 in the Morrese village, the “Duchy of Lacrima di Morro d’Alba” was even founded, an association that was born without discovery of profit with the aim of to make known and further enhance the “Lacrima di Morro d’Alba DOC” all over the world with cultural and representative food and wine projects and events.
The right treatment for a wonderful Italian pride.