Time for Lacrima di Morro d'Alba

What on earth is Lacrima di Morro d'Alba? Is it like Lacrima Christi? Is it from Alba?...No and, er, no. Lacrima di Morro (let's just shorten it a bit to make it more user-friendly shall we) is the name of a rare grape variety found almost exclusively in the Province of Ancona, in the Marches region of Italy. Lacrima, meaning "tear" in Italian is a reference to both the shape of the grape and to the thinness of it's skin which can, at times, allow tears of juice to weep from the grape. The "Morro d'Alba" part is a reference to a Castle which bears that name in the region.

So now that we have all of the typical Italian confusion sorted out, let's begin talking about the wine. The DOC was created in 1985 and the wine is made by only a handful of producers. Scant few of those wines make it to this part of the country. Fortunately, one of the best representations of this remarkable wine is available here via a producer named Velenosi, located in the town of Ascoli Piceno. This impeccable estate, established in 1984, is run by Angela Velenosi. While making terrific examples of the famous Rosso Piceno she also pays homage to the rarer indigenous varieties such as Passerina, Pecorino and Lacrima di Morro.

Lacrima di Morro is unique in its alluring bouquet of violets, rose petals, hardspice and blueberry. The Velenosi is one of the darker, more structured examples of the wine. On the palate, the exotic, floral and blue-fruit flavors are underpinned by the tannic structure often found in well-made dolcetto. It's crisp and fresh and can be enjoyed with a bit of a chill.

It's exotic nature begs for dishes that tend in that direction as well. So break out your cardamon, lavender and pink peppercorns and rub down some pork or poultry before roasting to create a nice pairing. You can also simply order some Indian or Thai take-out for it. (This wine is a perineal favorite at Rasika in DC).

Best of all is that Lacrima di Morro is a wine like nothing else you've ever experienced. And when it can be had for well under $20 a bottle, well that's just what makes this wine thing so gratifying.

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