Susumaniello wine guide

Susumaniello is a type of red grape that grows in Brindisi and the southern part of Bari. It is a cornerstone of Apulian winemaking and is often used to make very intense, colorful, and well-structured wines.
The classic Apulian blended wine all muscle and color. The ones once imported all over Italy to give character and structure to the most anemic wines?
Susumaniello was the king of blended wines in this region, a true champion, but thankfully, Apulian winemakers are re-evaluating it.
The commonplace, a bit vulgar, hard to die, is that it is only a grape to blend because, if vinified in purity, it is too acidic and grumpy, but in reality, it is an excellent solo vine, and many wineries are producing Susumaniello, even if we are only at the beginning of the rebirth of this tremendous Apulian vine.
Style and organoleptic characteristics of Susumaniello wine
The clusters are large, with small berries, and are densely bloomed and thick. The thin skin and ripening also occur very early, in mid-September, maximum early October.
We try to postpone it to reduce acidity a little, but we never go beyond the first days of October.
Many people try to dry the clusters in the cellar or on the vine to lower the acidity and concentrate the sugars in order to make the wine softer, but this takes a long time.
Few dare to invest in quality. We will see, but the results are encouraging for now.
The aromas of the bouquet are composed of ripe red fruit, spices, withered flowers, and balsamic notes of olives and Mediterranean scrub. On the palate, it is structured, zingy, and harsh, with thundering tannins and a lot of flavor intensity and staying power.
Susumaniello wine production area
It is found practically throughout Puglia. It is the classic follower to always have at your side, apart from the Foggia area. Its area of choice is the entire Otranto area.
History of the Susumaniello grape
It is known by various names: Somarello Nero, Susomaniello, Zingariello, Lacrima di Puglia, and Cozzomaniello. All evocative names, like its etymology, which translates to “loaded like a donkey,” given that it is a vine with prodigious productivity, particularly in the first ten years of vineyards.
The best Susumaniello wines
Susumaniello Torre Testa Tenute Rubino is excellent for inspiration and intensity, the 2016 vintage is still a bit woody, but we are on the right path. Leone de Castris’ Susumaniello Per Lui (for him) is a bomb of great intensity, struggling to find balance from so much material and the extract, which almost takes bites, but the charisma is there.
Perhaps the time has come to give a new reading to the Susumaniello grape, which has been mortified for too many years when it is actually a treasure of Puglia to be rediscovered.
Food Pairings
Structure and tannins invite to pairings with grilled meat, brisket and preparation of smoked meat, paella, veal with tuna sauce, chicken curry, ribs with barbecue sauce, baked lasagna, roast beef, pulled pork, empanadas, hamburgers, Wellington fillet.