Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The variety was originally thought to be of
Dalmatian origin, but this seems much less
likely in light of DNA profi ling results that
show Susumaniello to be a Garganega × Uva
Sogra crossing (Di Vecchi Staraz, Bandinelli,
Boselli, This, Boursiquot, Laucou, Lacombe,
et al. 2007). Due to its relationship to Gar-
ganega, one of Italy's oldest and most impor-
tant cultivars (in that it is related to many other
Italian varieties), Susumaniello must be either
the grandparent or a half sibling of Albana, Cat-
aratto Bianco, Dorona, Malvasia Bianca di Can-
dia, Marzemina Bianca, Montonico Bianco,
Mostosa, and Trebbiano Toscano. Susuma-
niello is potentially one of the up-and-coming
native grapes of Italy, and plantings have been
increasing steadily over the last ten years. Other
synonyms include Cozzomaniello, Cuccigua-
niello, Susipaniello, Cuccipaniello, Cozzoma-
niello, Grismaniello (or Gerismaniello),
Somarello, Susumariello, Susumariello Nero,
Zingariello, and Zuzumaniello. Of note, the
National Registry has recently added a Soma-
rello variety (another reference to donkeys: a
somarello
is a small donkey), which is going to
cause confusion among professionals and wine
lovers, since Somarello is a commonly used
synonym for both Susumaniello and Uva di
Troia.
Gregory Perucci and Salvatore Mero of
Racemi (formerly Accademia dei Racemi) have
devoted the greatest amount of time to studying
and working with this variety. “When we
started out in 1998,” Perucci told me, “we were
set on resurrecting ancient local varieties and
found both Ottavianello, better known as Cin-
sault, and Susumaniello, which was the much
harder of the two to locate, near Brindisi.”
Perucci found a seventy-year-old vineyard that
the owner's grandfather had planted following
the traditions of his time: one-third Negro
Amaro for body, one-third Malvasia Nera for
perfume, and one-third Susumaniello for color.
“Honestly, I don't know of any other Susuma-
niello vines anywhere in Puglia at that time,
and we really went looking long and far,” muses
Perucci, who wonders about the new monovari-
etal susumaniello or other wines made with
high percentages of a variety nobody had heard
of only fi fteen years ago. “Anything is possible,
I guess,” he shrugs, “but I do think it's good for
the variety to be out there and talked about.”
There are two biotypes of Susumaniello:
one has a trilobed leaf and a midsized, compact
bunch; the second has a leaf with fi ve lobes and
a smaller, loosely packed bunch. Both are char-
acterized by small berries with very large pips.
“The really interesting thing is that the pip's
tannins aren't bitter, as they are in every other
Puglian red variety: this allows us to perform
very long, slow extractions,” says Mero. Susu-
maniello is grown mainly in the countryside
around Bari and Brindisi; plantings are on the
increase (only thirteen hectares in 2006, more
than twenty in 2010) and can also be found in
the provinces of Taranto and Lecce. It seems to
do best in soils that are not too fertile, clay-rich,
or humid, for these characteristics all push the
variety's naturally high vigor. There is one
clone available, CRSA-D86.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Susumaniello wines are a work in progress,
since the variety has only been on people's
radars for a decade or so. Perucci believes the
wine does not take well to oak and so avoids
using it, but not all his colleagues agree. It
seems to be generally accepted that though the
wine starts out rude and tannic when young,
with six to eight years of bottle age it softens
and becomes smooth and stylish. Not everyone
is as sold on Susumaniello and its star qualities.
Donato Lazzari of the Agricole Vallone estate in
Puglia's Salento is not so sure the cultivar's tan-
nins will ever be refi ned or soft enough to give
a truly noble wine: “In blends however, I think
Susumaniello can be a really great addition, for
I fi nd that the texture of wines is greatly
improved by its presence.” The pure examples I
have had so far have always offered a strong but
not massive cloak, also plenty of dark-cherry
and plum aromas and fl avors. I think there's a
lot of potential to the “Susie” wine, as it's nick-
named in Anglophile circles.
