01/07/2026
I love travelling throughout Italy🇮🇹 even if it isn’t as exotic as visiting far away countries. Of course I love seeing the sites and history but most of all it is for tasting local and regional cuisines and wines! This trip we visited: Tuscany, Lazio and Campania. On our last night we tasted this and I had to refresh my memory about this Vesuvio Doc.
The Lacryma Christi is almost like a sub denomination of the Vesuvio DOC and surrounds the Volcano. This one was a white Vesuvio (you can have red or rosato for example) and there was a bit of confusion about the grape because I was told there was Caprettone which I had never heard of. In fact I later found out that was the local name for
🍇 Min. 40% Coda di Volpe (for its cluster shape that looks like a Foxtail) with the rest being usually Falanghina, Greco (Max di 35%) e altri bianchi locali.
🍇 The vineyards must be on slopes in volcanic origin soils.
🍇 Yields must be max of 2,500 vines per hectare
🍇From the pressing, only 65% of wine can be obtained for the Doc regulations
🪵 Usually it is just aged in stainless steel@to preserve the minerality and freshness from the grapes.
🍝 Pairing: Clam or seafood pastas, Mussels, Mozzarella di bufala
Do you know why it is called Lacryma di Cristo? (Tears of Christ?)
💧🩸Legends:
A piece of heaven fell in the Gulf of Napoli when Lucifer was kicked out. He had taken that piece with him and Christ was so upset, his tears fell. From where they fell, vines grew giving the name to the wines from the area.
Another version says that monks had documented the word Lagrima which referred to a drip filtering process they may have used.
I like the 1st idea don’t you?
Have you ever tried a Lacryma di Cristo?
Sources: Wine Scholar Guild, Quattro Calici
