1/5
SweetnessDrySweet
The grape archive
Susumaniello
Susumaniello
A once-neglected Puglian red with vivid acidity, deep purple colour and flavours of blackberry, plum and pepper.
Typical flavour register
01Blackberry02Plum03Violet04Black pepper05Mediterranean herbs
In the glass
A visual taste profile.
These scales describe a representative dry expression. Climate, harvest date, yields and winemaking can move an individual wine in another direction.
4/5
AciditySoftFresh
3/5
TanninSilkyFirm
4/5
BodyLightFull
4/5
FruitSavouryFruit-led
Where it grows
From origin to the wider vineyard.
The first country is the grape’s principal reference point; the remaining countries show important established cultivation rather than a complete planting census.
Italy
Core countrySalento · Puglia · Gioia del Colle
Three useful expressions
Fresh & fruit-led
Juicy fruit, moderate extraction and little oak emphasise immediate pleasure.
Classic regional style
The grape’s familiar balance of fruit, structure, spice and place.
Structured & age-worthy
Lower yields, selected sites and careful ageing build concentration and longevity.
Handling
Serve15–18 °C
GlassLarge red-wine glass
Decant30–60 minutes when young
Cellar2–12 years by style
At the table
Pair it by weight, freshness and aroma.
How we recognise this grape
In a blind Wineflight, we first look for blackberry, plum and violet. On the palate, lively to high acidity, clearly present but moderate tannin and a broad, full body provide the structural check: aroma alone is never enough to identify Susumaniello. Susumaniello combines deep colour and black fruit with lively acidity, giving this recovered Salento grape more tension than its ripeness suggests.
This is a practical tasting cue from our Wineflight experience, not a fixed recipe: origin, ripeness and winemaking can shift the profile.
Reference databases and further readingVIVC · Variety database ↗OIV · Vitivinicultural data ↗Wine Folly · Grape guide ↗