‘Barbarossa’ Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, 2011 Romagnoli, $10 from Astor Wine, NYC
This ruby red wine hails from a small family winery near the eastern coast of Italy (Morro d’Alba, Le Marche Region) . With a nose of blueberry and violet, the palate is dominated with blue plum and blackberry with a hint of rose petals. Young tannins provide only a little grip in the finish but the acidity pairs well with the young fruit and makes for a very satisfying wine that may make you think you’re sitting on the veranda of an Italian villa, looking out at the Mediterranean sea. Lacrima was a grape I had not heard of before, but the word immediately reminded me of ‘Lacrimosa’, the latin word for ‘weeping’ whichI knew thanks to Mozart and his K626 Requiem in D minor- a haunting and lovely piece of music. Tangent aside, I did a little research and learned that in Italian, ‘lacrima’ literally translates to ‘tear’ primarily due to the tear-shape of the grape, as well as the thin-skinned nature of the grape which allows juice to leak out and ‘cry’ from the bottom of the grape at maturity. This unusual grape is only found in the Marches area of Italy (near the calf of the boot, if you will) and Lacrima is considered best when enjoyed young.
I picked this up from Astor Wine as part of their 10 Wines under $10 and waited for a night that I was cooking Italian food to taste it. While it paired beautifully with gnocchi and tomato sauce, it would pair equally well with light meats, cheeses, salmon and similar fare. I’ll keep my eye out for wines made with lacrima in the future, especially at this price tag.
See on jvbuncorked.wordpress.com
via Tumblr http://italianentertainment.tumblr.com/post/45111632859