Surani

The viticultural background of Manduria

The estate’s historical narrative begins with the long relationship between Salento and wine. Phoenician traders carried Primitivo around the Mediterranean, while Greek settlers introduced its cultivation to southern Italy during the colonization of Magna Graecia in the seventh century BCE. Pliny the Elder later characterized Manduria as a town filled with vineyards.

During the Middle Ages, monks from the East organized substantial wine exports through Taranto, Gallipoli, Otranto and Brindisi. Pilgrims and Crusaders departing for the Holy Land associated the word brindisi with a good-luck toast before their voyage.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, Don Francesco Filippo Indellicati of Gioia del Colle recorded the characteristics of the local grape, selected promising material and planted the first monoculture of what he called “Primaticcio.”

From sharecropping farm to wine estate

Masseria Surani originated as a typical Puglian sharecropping farm in the early twentieth century. Its historic white masseria now stands beside the operational winery building, surrounded by vineyards and the wider landscape of vines and olive trees near Manduria.

2012: the Tommasi project in Puglia

The Tommasi family established its presence in Puglia in 2012 through the 55 vineyard hectares of Tenuta Espéra at Manduria, within the Primitivo di Manduria denomination. The historic property associated with Masseria Surani covered 80 hectares in total, 55 of them planted to vines.

2014: first harvest and reorganization

The first Tommasi harvest at Masseria Surani began at the end of August 2014. During the project’s first two years, Giancarlo Tommasi organized the winery and directed the recovery and replanting of the vineyards. Fabio Mecca Paternoster subsequently joined him as the enologist based near the estate, overseeing both vineyards and wines.

The project concentrated on Primitivo, Negroamaro and Fiano, varieties selected for the estate’s cool, deep red limestone-and-clay soils. Cabernet Sauvignon is also cultivated. High-density Guyot training and low yields were adopted to reconcile wine quality with a recognizable expression of the territory.

2020 vintage

The 2020 Fiano harvest began in the first week of September. Frost had seriously affected flowering, particularly in Primitivo, and production was forecast to be about 10% below the previous year. Yields were low, but the fruit was considered high in quality. Vine health remained sound: periods of intense heat were moderated by cool evening breezes and frequent but never heavy rainfall.

2021 vintage

Harvesting in 2021 began about ten days later than usual. July and August brought very high temperatures, making the season uncertain, but the harvested fruit was in excellent sanitary condition. Daily tasting and analysis were used to determine the appropriate picking moment.

2022 expansion at Lizzano

A further 45 hectares entered production in 2022 in the nearby commune of Lizzano, adjacent to Tenuta Eméra. Part of the Surani production had already been vinified there through cooperation between the Tommasi and Quarta families. Together with the 55 hectares at Manduria, these plantings accounted for 100 identified vineyard hectares.

2025: Tenuta Eméra and Cantina Moros

On 5 September 2025, following Claudio Quarta’s retirement, the Tommasi family acquired Tenuta Eméra at Lizzano and Cantina Moros at Guagnano. Alessandra Quarta remained involved to provide continuity and help develop the expanded Surani project.

The acquisition brought Surani a new facility for vinification and bottling and reorganized the Puglian portfolio under the Masseria Surani name. Tenuta Espéra at Manduria remained its historic core; Tenuta Eméra became the base for Primitivo DOC, Fiano and Negroamaro Rosé; and Cantina Moros continued as the home of the eponymous Salice Salentino DOC Riserva. The expansion also created the basis for a broader wine-tourism project in Puglia.

The historic 55-hectare vineyard estate is certified organic. Its agronomic program also follows an integrated production system intended to provide environmentally sustainable management of agricultural work. Conservation of natural resources and local biodiversity is a stated priority.

Vines are trained to a close, high-density Guyot system at approximately 5,500–5,550 plants per hectare. The planting design was conceived to fit into the surrounding countryside; rows use wooden end posts and galvanized iron intermediate posts. Low yields form part of the quality strategy.

An irrigation system is available but reserved for periods of severe drought. During the hot 2021 season, emergency irrigation was needed in younger vineyards. The timing of harvest is determined through repeated tasting and daily analysis of grape maturity.

Primitivo develops early throughout its growing cycle and is among the first varieties harvested in Italy. Because it is considered delicate and capricious, it is planted in well-ventilated positions and grafted onto rootstocks that restrict vigor. The oldest Primitivo sites produce naturally low yields, and their grapes are harvested by hand.

The original winery was constructed beside the historic masseria. It was equipped with the machinery, technology and stainless-steel tanks required to carry out the stages of vinification with close control.

Red wines mature in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks. The Primitivo Riserva also uses 500-liter tonneaux. Across production, the stated aim is to restrain excessive alcohol and avoid overly hot or fruit-heavy expressions of Primitivo, favoring elegance, moderation and suitability at the table.

The 2025 acquisition of Tenuta Eméra and Cantina Moros gave the expanded Surani project an additional facility for vinification and bottling. Winery management emphasizes the efficient use of resources, prevention of waste and recycling whenever possible. Animal-derived products and materials containing allergens are excluded from the wine-production process.

Surani’s project is centered on the indigenous varieties Primitivo, Negroamaro and Fiano and on demonstrating their potential in the limestone-and-clay soils of Manduria and Lizzano. Cabernet Sauvignon is also grown, but the principal identity remains tied to Salento’s native grapes.

The enological approach seeks a balance between optimum quality and a clear expression of place. High-density planting, controlled vigor and low yields are intended to produce direct, distinctive wines suited to the table. For Primitivo, the desired style emphasizes elegance and moderation: alcohol is restrained to avoid the hot, excessively fruit-driven character that the team does not consider representative of its objective.

Environmental principles encompass organic viticulture, protection of natural resources and biodiversity, efficient cellar management, waste reduction and recycling. Giancarlo Tommasi’s broader working principle is that cellar technique cannot replace qualities that are absent from the vineyard; agronomic management therefore remains the foundation of the project.

Following the 2025 expansion, the Mediterranean vision for Surani is to communicate the identity, traditions and diversity of Salento in an international context while creating new opportunities for the local territory. Alessandra Quarta’s continued involvement provides continuity between the Quarta family’s emphasis on research, innovation, tradition, history and sustainability and the Tommasi family’s management of the expanded project.