Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is an indigenous Italian red wine variety. It occurs mainly in a limited area around the municipality of Morro d'Alba in the province of Ancona. Outside the Marche region, it is only cultivated in Umbria and Apulia. The grapes (intense blue color) are medium in size, as are the grapes, which have an elongated shape. The peel is quite thick and rich in extracts, but very fragile and diffuse during the final stages of ripening (especially when these are characterized by heavy rain) and thus causes the leakage of small droplets of juice (tears). The tannin content of these grapes is quite low, which is why the wine made from them should preferably be consumed young. The grapes are quite sensitive to attacks by both plant pests (fungi, oidium and botrytis) and animals (red spider mites), as well as viral and other diseases. The grape variety prefers clay and sandy hills, rich in minerals, very permeable and deep. In the diffusion areas (Ancona hills) the soil mostly has a pH around 7.5 and contains a small amount of organic matter. The delicacy of this grape variety has in the past led to other more hardy and productive varieties, often of lower quality, replacing Lacrima. Lacrima must was previously used as a blend to improve or flavor other red wines, while today it is vinified almost as a single variety. Recent genetic research has shown that there is a connection with Aleatico, a semi-aromatic grape from the central and southern regions of Italy.
