The Grape You’ve Never Heard Of — Why Everyone’s Drinking Susumaniello Wine in Puglia

Meet the Underdog of Italian Reds

If you’ve ever had a glass of wine that made you stop mid-sentence, you’ll understand Susumaniello.

It pours nearly black in the glass — brooding, rich, and peppery. One sip, and you’re hit with something wild and earthy, like blackberries growing on old vines under the southern Italian sun. It’s bold, but not overworked. Familiar, but entirely its own. And unless you’ve been to Puglia, chances are, you’ve never tasted it.

Susumaniello wine has quietly become the grape insiders are talking about. It’s the pour you get when you trust the sommelier. The bottle local winemakers open when they want to show off what their land can really do. And for travelers with a thirst for authenticity, it’s the sip that brings Puglia’s story into sharp, delicious focus.

We’re going to uncork everything you need to know — from what Susumaniello is, to how to drink it like a local, and where to experience it in its purest form, just steps from your villa at Borgomadre.

What Is Susumaniello, Really?

Grown almost exclusively in the heel of Italy, Susumaniello is a native red grape that once teetered on the edge of extinction. For decades, it was tucked away in family vineyards and forgotten corners of the Salento countryside — overlooked, underestimated, and too temperamental to turn a real profit.

Its name, which loosely translates to “little donkey,” refers to the grapevine’s once-heavy yields in its youth — strong and stubborn, like the animal itself. But as the vine ages, it produces fewer clusters and more concentration. That’s where the magic happens.

In the glass, Susumaniello wine is intense and dark, almost ink-colored, with flavors that swing between wild berries, crushed herbs, tobacco, and just enough minerality to remind you the sea isn’t far off. It’s juicy, spicy, complex, and raw in the best way. No oak-heavy makeup. No international polish. Just the grape, the soil, the sun, and the hand that raised it.

Until recently, Susumaniello barely made it outside Puglia. Now, it’s turning heads on wine lists from Copenhagen to Melbourne — especially among those craving wines with identity, edge, and story.

And we get the first pick.

Why Susumaniello Is Taking Over Puglia’s Wine Scene

Primitivo and Negroamaro may have opened the world’s eyes to Puglia, but Susumaniello is the one turning heads now. It doesn’t try to charm. It makes an impression — bold color, dense fruit, a clean finish that lingers just long enough to pull you back for another sip.

What sets it apart? It’s a variety that offers serious complexity without the need for excessive intervention. It’s expressive straight from the vine — wild cherry, blackberries, cracked pepper, dried herbs, sometimes even the faintest trace of salt carried by wind from the nearby Adriatic. You can taste the geography in every single sip.

From Field to Fermentation

What makes Susumaniello wine so striking is how little it needs to shine — but only in the right hands.

• Harvest typically begins in late September, when sugar and acid levels align perfectly. The grape is thick-skinned, which helps it retain structure even in the region’s blazing heat.

• Many producers opt for spontaneous fermentation, letting native yeasts from the vineyard start the process. This adds nuance and allows the wine to express a true sense of place.

• Minimal oak aging — or none at all — is a hallmark. Some producers use concrete or stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and avoid masking the fruit.

• Bottling happens the following spring or summer, with many winemakers choosing unfiltered techniques, which add a raw, slightly wild edge to the wine.

These choices are truly traditional and Susumaniello rewards restraint. It’s not about manipulation, it’s about letting the land do the talking.

Why It Matters Now

In an era where people are craving more transparency — in their food, their travel, their wine — Susumaniello hits every note.

• It’s native. You won’t find it growing in Napa or Bordeaux.

• It’s low-intervention. Many bottles come from organic, biodynamic, or natural processes.

• It pairs with everything Puglia loves to eat. From handmade orecchiette with cime di rapa to charcoal-grilled lamb, it’s a table wine in the best sense — meant to be opened, passed around, and finished over good conversation.

And most importantly, it reflects a region that’s finally embracing what makes it different. For a long time, winemakers in southern Italy were pushed to imitate the north — to chase trends and international styles. But Susumaniello isn’t trying to impress. It’s speaking in its own dialect. And that’s what makes it unforgettable.

How to Taste It Like a Local

There’s no better place to fall for Susumaniello wine than right here, where the grape was born and still grows in the shadow of dry-stone walls and olive trees. The secret to understanding is all in the context. The land, the winemaker’s story, the food on the table, the pace of the afternoon. That’s how locals drink it, and that’s how you should too.

A Quick-Start Guide to Drinking Susumaniello in Puglia

Where to Go

• Brindisi: The heart of Susumaniello’s revival. Look for Tenute Rubino — pioneers in rescuing and elevating the grape.

• Carovigno: Small-town charm, serious wine. Seek out micro-producers with limited runs and tons of heart.

• Valle d’Itria: Known more for whites like Verdeca, but home to surprising Susumaniello experiments.

How to Taste

• Ask for a vertical tasting — several vintages of the same wine. This helps you understand how Susumaniello evolves over time.

• Visit in the late afternoon, when the heat eases, and the light turns gold. You’ll understand why this place makes such soulful reds.

• Taste it with food. Always. A plate of burrata, wild boar ragu, grilled eggplant — it brings the wine to life.

What to Look For on the Label

• “Susumaniello in purezza” means the bottle is 100% Susumaniello — not blended.

• Look for IGP Salento or IGT Puglia — both are quality indicators in the region.

• Seek out low-sulfite or unfiltered if you're into natural wines.

Why Puglia Makes It Sing

Some grapes behave the same wherever you plant them. Susumaniello doesn’t.

It belongs to Puglia. And not just for climate reasons — though yes, the long, sun-scorched summers and cool Adriatic breezes help. There’s something deeper at play here. A kind of harmony between land, people, and pace that makes this grape speak more clearly than anywhere else.

The Soil Beneath Your Feet

In the southern zones of Brindisi and Salento, and further up through the Valle d’Itria, Susumaniello finds its sweet spot in iron-rich red earth. This “terra rossa” is more than just pretty — it’s nutrient-dense, drains well, and lends a mineral backbone to the wine that offsets all that ripe fruit. In places where limestone cuts through the subsoil, you get even more structure. Less plush, more tension. It's what gives Susumaniello its swagger.

The Growers Who Never Gave Up

This isn’t a grape that returned to popularity by accident. It came back because a handful of families and producers refused to let it die. Instead of chasing international blends, they leaned into what made Puglia unique. Many are now cultivating Susumaniello organically or biodynamically — not as a gimmick, but because it’s how their grandparents farmed.

• Hand-harvesting is still the norm here.

• Minimal irrigation is used, relying on the natural rhythm of the seasons.

• Cover crops and biodiversity are integrated into the vineyards to protect the soil’s vitality.

It’s the kind of slow, respectful agriculture that takes time — and produces wine that feels alive.

The Energy of the Place

Then there’s the atmosphere you can’t bottle — the mood of Puglia. Even the wind here plays a part. The Tramontana, a cool northern breeze, often sweeps through in the late afternoons, refreshing the vines and offering natural balance to a hot day. Meanwhile, salt from two seas (the Ionian and Adriatic) rides the air and leaves a kind of signature on the grapes — a whisper of brine that shows up subtly in the glass.

Susumaniello, grown anywhere else, might survive. But in Puglia, it thrives.

Wine Tours with Borgomadre’s Inside Access

You don’t need to read the wine list when you know the winemaker. And at Borgomadre, we do.

Our team has long-standing relationships with the people reviving Susumaniello from the roots up — the ones harvesting by hand at sunrise, experimenting with aging techniques, and refusing to compromise on tradition. No matter if you’re new to wine or a seasoned collector, we’ll curate an experience that’s far more than a standard vineyard stop.

Choose Your Grape-Loving Adventure

Guided Wine Day Trips

Hop in a private car and wind your way through the backroads of the Valle d’Itria or Brindisi, stopping at boutique wineries where Susumaniello is made in tiny batches with huge heart. You’ll sip vintages that rarely leave the region, straight from the barrel if you’re lucky.

On-Villa Tastings with Local Sommeliers

Don’t feel like leaving the pool? We’ll bring the terroir to you. Enjoy a private tasting session on your terrace, led by sommeliers who know every winemaker and vintage by name. Paired with regional cheeses, hand-shaped taralli, and figs picked fresh that morning.

Aperitivo in the Vines

Our favorite option: a golden-hour picnic in a vineyard just 10 minutes from the villas. Think: cushions between the rows, live mandolin music if you’d like it, and your glass never empty.

Farm-to-Table Pairings

Cap the day with a curated dinner at the villa. A private chef will prepare seasonal dishes designed to pair with Susumaniello’s moody complexity — rich pastas, grilled lamb, even dark chocolate with olive oil to finish.

We take care of everything — booking, transport, language, dietary needs — so all you need to do is show up and savor. Want to start planning? Browse our local vineyard guide for inspiration.

Susumaniello, the Soul of Puglia — and Your Stay at Borgomadre

Some wines transport you. But Susumaniello does something better: it roots you. In red soil and sea breeze. In long conversations and slow afternoons. In the kind of place where nothing needs to be rushed, and every sip tells a story.

At Borgomadre, we’ve created a setting that lets you experience that feeling without effort. If you’re staying at Villa Clementina with its rooftop terrace and private plunge pool, or Villa Cosimina, where the pergola glows at golden hour, your glass of Susumaniello will always have the right backdrop.

• Enjoy a bottle under the olive trees with lunch.

• Sip it during a sunset aperitivo overlooking the countryside.

• Let it linger as dinner stretches into starlight.

  
  

And if you’re curious to go deeper, we’ll introduce you to the people behind the wine. The ones who made it possible for a nearly forgotten grape to become Puglia’s signature red again.

So here’s your invitation: come taste something most of the world hasn’t discovered yet. Come drink like a local, live like a local, and let Susumaniello mark your time in Puglia the way only it can.

Explore our villas and start planning your stay — the wine (and everything else) will be waiting.

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