The origin of the name of this wine is very ancient and is connected to both the plant and the territory from which it comes. The first part of the word, unique in its kind, derives from the characteristic of the Lacrima grapevine to exude tiny drops of juice from the ripe berries: this black grape has a thick yet extremely delicate skin, highly prone to cracking during the final stages of grape ripening, especially in periods of heavy rain. The small drops (tears) that emerge from the cracks in the berries give the grape its name, Lacrima, while “di Morro d'Alba” refers to the most important town where this variety is cultivated, indicating its place of origin and production. "Morro" comes from the pre-Roman word “murr” or “moor” and means "height," "rock," "pile," or "clump of stones" (later established in the Middle Ages as the name of the village); the term "Alba" (added in 1862 to the town’s name to avoid confusion with other locations in the Kingdom of Italy) refers to the rising sun and means "toward the east." This epithet historically indicated the geographical area separating the medieval territories of Jesi and Senigallia, located in the northeastern part of the province of Ancona. Thus, Morro d'Alba can be interpreted as "stony field to the east." An alternative, though less common, theory suggests that "Morro" may derive from Mauro Sabba, king of the Moors (a group of Saracen pirates) who invaded and plundered the Marche in 848, or from the term “El Murro,” which in the Saracen language would mean "The Castle."

The Lacrima grape, found only in the Ancona area and revived a few decades ago in the municipality of Morro d'Alba, has been known since ancient times. The first historical reference to the grape and wines of this territory comes from Frederico Barbarossa, who in 1167, during the siege of Ancona, chose the walls of Morro and its castle as his residence and shelter. The inhabitants of the town were forced to give the emperor their most precious goods, including Lacrima wine, which greatly pleased the monarch. More modern documents about this grape variety can be found from the second half of the 19th century, attributing it to the Marche region, although its precise origins remain unknown.

The first detailed references appear in the volume “La esposizione ampelografica marchigiana-abruzzese tenuta in Ancona il settembre 1872 e studi sulla vite e sul vino della provincia anconitana”, published in 1873, where Lacrima and its wine were analyzed in the laboratory for the first time and carefully described. These pages include the first detailed representations of the plant’s various organs, its phenological stages, and susceptibility to pathogens, along with an excellent evaluation of the wine obtained from it. Other references appear in the 19th-century Bollettini Ampelografici and, in particular, in the first volume of Ampelografia italiana, published in Turin in 1879 by the Central Ampelographic Committee. Here, the three most important grape varieties of the Marche are listed, one of which is Lacrima, whose biological description matches that of today, though it does not coincide with the description in Gallesio’s Pomona italiana, nor with other grapes that once bore the same name in southern Italy.

Once widely cultivated across the central and southern Adriatic regions (from Romagna, Tuscany, and Umbria to Apulia and Campania), this variety was at serious risk of extinction during the 1970s and 1980s, uprooted and gradually replaced by more resistant and productive modern cultivars, often of lower quality. One factor contributing to its decline was its early spring budding, which exposed the tender young shoots to the risk of late winter frost. This ancient variety was rescued on less than 10 hectares of remaining vineyard in the Morro d'Alba area, surviving only thanks to some Marche winemakers, who, after the DOC designation was established in 1985 (the first year of its revival), resumed cultivating this unique black grape. In the past, its must was used as a flavoring and to enhance other red wines, while today it is vinified and sold as a varietal wine.

Following renewed interest, the “Consorzio di Tutela della Lacrima di Morro d'Alba DOC” has been active in the production area since 1993 (established by Law No. 164/92). Its members include producers and bottlers of Lacrima grapes and Lacrima di Morro d'Alba wine, usually medium-small enterprises. The purpose of the consortium, following the rules of the production regulations, includes the protection, promotion, enhancement, marketing, production, and control of the grape variety, its fruit, and its wine. Today, Lacrima di Morro d'Alba is one of the most important and sought-after red wines of the Marche region (even internationally), and its namesake cultivar is safeguarded as an indispensable part of Italy’s wine heritage.