Critique Wine: Susumaniello

[Mike Buckley]

Susumaniello is a relatively rare wine grape species; I've only seen one other wine made of that grape. I especially look forward to drinking this one, as the other one easily convinced me that this is my favorite red wine grape of all the non-standard grapes. If you're interested in trying it, your Trader Joe's might have it for between $10 and $15 (that's where I bought it).

Though the shape of the bottle is unusual, the amount of wine is the standard 750ml.

Setup
The tabletop is a floor tile and the background is black, textured art paper with shiny, chrome flecks. Two small continuous-light lamps fitted with a diffusion sock to create soft shadows were on the left and right sides. A white reflector underneath the camera brightened the center of the label.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[Pa]

The labels show beautifully, but on my laptop at maximum brightness, I still can't see the bottle.

I'm going to be in Puglia three weeks from today so I'll look for it.

 

[Palouse]

My MBP is calibrated and the bottle is very distinct, albeit very dark! I like it. Can't say I've ever had a 100% Susumaniello, but have had it as part of blended reds.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Jim and Nick! On my calibrated monitor, the separation between the bottle and the background and tabletop is immediately obvious.

Jim: Have a great time in Puglia!

 

[Butlerkid]

I see separation between the bottle and the background. Lovely label! Let us know what you think of the wine!

 

[Butlerkid]

The labels show beautifully, but on my laptop at maximum brightness, I still can't see the bottle.

I'm going to be in Puglia three weeks from today so I'll look for it.

Is your laptop calibrated? I have no trouble seeing the bottle separate from the background on my calibrated desktop. One of the reasons I only use a laptop for "temporary" viewing. I can never seem to consistently get the "tilt" of the laptop screen and calibration to accurately show the image.

 

[Pa]

I see a slight separation now. The room was very bright when I posted earlier.

 

[Binnur]

I can see the bottle clearly. Great presentation Mike. I have missed your wine related images , so this one is a good feast for me

 

[Mike Buckley]

I have missed your wine related images

Such a nice compliment, Binnur! Thank you!

 

[Walter]

View attachment 1634726

This is a marvelous looking bottle. In this image I might brighten the background lighting a touch for more separation between bottle and background. It would insure the dark bottle outline better stands out from the background and thus highlights the unusual shape of this bottle.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks for the comment, Walter. Are you using a calibrated monitor?

 

[Mike Buckley]

Let us know what you think of the wine!

Very enjoyable, especially for a wine priced at $10 -- $15. Better than the other Susumaniello I had been buying, which I also liked.

 

[Palouse]

Just picked a bottle of Susumaniello. Will be trying it one of these days.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Looking forward to learning what you think of it.

 

[nuclearjock]

I can see the bottle perfectly on my uncalibrated phone.

 

[Pa]

I'll be visiting a Trader Joe's in about two weeks, so I'll look for this wine. Can you characterize the taste in any way? Is it like Primitivo or Sangiovese?

 

[Mike Buckley]

Is it like Primitivo or Sangiovese?

I'm not good at describing wine so it will be interesting to see what Nick has to say about that. Considering that you brought up Primitivo and Sangiovese, I would say that the only two wines I've had that were made entirely of Susumaniello were somewhere in between those two grapes regarding acid and tannin. It has less character than either Primitivo or Sangiovese.

As a reminder, I mentioned that Susumaniello was my favorite red grape that is off the beaten path, so based on my limited experience drinking it I don't consider it in the same league as either of those two grapes. Moreover, just a month after starting this thread, I mentioned that I came upon another grape that is off the beaten path, Teroldego, that I think is superior to Susumaniello. https://www.nikoncafe.com/threads/wine.308506/page-27#post-4017811

 

[acnomad]

Without diving into details of monitor calibration, I think it is safe to say that the tonal qualities of the bottle and background are very close to one another. Having seen the magic that @Mike Buckley is capable of performing when it comes to lighting, I think this image could be improved with another stop of light on the background. While I can see the subtle distinction between bottle and background, I would like just a little more.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I think this image could be improved with another stop of light on the background. While I can see the subtle distinction between bottle and background, I would like just a little more.

Thanks for commenting! Your ideas are mostly if not entirely a matter of personal preference, which is fine. As an example, I really like images that have very little difference in tonality between dark subjects and dark backgrounds and I realize that most people don't have that same affinity. My rule of thumb is that if I can detect at nothing more than a glance the separation between subject and background, that works for me. That's the case here. Though all of us can calibrate our monitors, the only way to viably critique an image about this kind of detail is if we are standing around viewing a print or screen display together; only then are we seeing the same display under the same conditions.

 

[Palouse]

I'll be visiting a Trader Joe's in about two weeks, so I'll look for this wine. Can you characterize the taste in any way? Is it like Primitivo or Sangiovese?

It is an "evolved version" of Sangiovese, so similar but more robust—southern ripeness——at least that is what I've been told to expect.