With only 250 acres under vine, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is one of Italy’s smallest appellations and the
grape is indigenous to the hills around the town of Morro d’ Alba in the Marche’s Ancona province. This
2011 offering from the Badiali brothers is bright, floral and juicy. It leads with aromas of rose petal,
hibiscus, Assam tea, cherry and vanilla. Expect more of the same on the palate, with blue plum and
blueberry emphatically delivered in a medium-bodied, low-tannin, low-alcohol package.
Rose petal, hibiscus, blue plum, violet, white pepper.
Carrying on the tradition of their late father Quinto, the affable Badiali brothers, Vittorio and Mirko, craft
wine from one grape variety—Lacrima. Miniscule yields from their 12-acre family estate in the foothills of
Morro d’ Alba produce, for the world, a grand total of approximately 1,600 cases.
The Marche (pronounced Mar-kay) region is a spectacularly beautiful region on central Italy’s east coast.
Stretching along the Adriatic Sea, it is also bordered by Abruzzo to the south, Umbria and Tuscany to the
west, and Emilia-Romagna to the north. Most of its vineyard land is planted in the steep terrain of the
Apennines Range before it drops abruptly to the flat, sandy coastline.
This fresh, exuberant wine has enough heft to pair with lean, simply prepared beef dishes or with pastas
with red meat sauces pastas, but is best suited to pork and poultry. Its medium body and bright acidity also
makes it light enough to serve with seafood, especially when herbs and spices are incorporated. This unusual
grape Lacrima also has the distinction of being one of the few red wines that works well with bitter foods
and even has the where-with-all to stand up to two of the “ugly stepsisters” of food and wine pairing:
asparagus and artichokes. In the Marche, locals serve it before and/or after a meal with a hunk of Pecorino
cheese.
Even though it had been grown locally for a millennium, by the 1970’s, Lacrima di Morro was on the verge
of extinction, with less than 20 acres under vine. Thankfully, it has made a comeback.
