Sušić Winery

The area of Imotski and Vrgorac has been known since ancient times as a place to go for good wines. Viticulture and winemaking are ingrained in the people here. The good news is that in the last twenty years, younger generations have taken on this demanding job without much hesitation. The land offers opportunities, and it would be a shame not to seize them. One of them is Alen Sušić, with a family tradition in winemaking spanning almost half a century. He started taking winemaking more seriously fifteen years ago, and for the last ten years, he has been continuously increasing production.

We visited the home and vineyards of this winemaker to find out about the condition of the land and the cellars. To discover this, it’s best to let the host decide what to present to guests – it will surely be what he is proud of, accompanied by interesting stories. But before we talk about wines, it’s worth mentioning that the vineyards are located just above the family home, so that Alen can keep an eye on them and have them within reach. The vineyard is like a child; you shouldn’t keep it too far away, Sušić romantically tells us.

“We always lack of Kujundžuša!”

As much as 70% of the vineyard is made up of the native Kujundžuša. “It’s not accidentally native,” he explains. “Kujundžuša is our treasure, our mother and our child; it has been growing here for centuries and produces top-quality wines. After three years, it shines in its best light, then it starts to decline. Both the quality and taste change.”

Sušić proudly says, “I’m proud of all my wines, because just as a parent loves all their children, so does a winemaker love all wines because of their diversity.” However, he is most satisfied and proud of Kujundžuša – he says it gets slightly better every year. We impatiently ask why. “It’s about the land, but also about love. There’s nothing from the land alone – people and love make the difference!”

Because of this, he plans to plant another 3 hectares just for Kujundžuša. He pours us that gold into the glass and simultaneously says with a smile that it’s an everyday wine; everyone asks for it and everyone buys it, locals and foreigners alike. It’s the first wine that runs out for him. “I always miss it,” even though, in the end, there will be around 25,000 liters.

The problem is that there is less and less of it because the old ones are dying, and the young ones aren’t really planting it, but he hopes that they will see the light soon and dedicate themselves to the land and viticulture; after all, it’s their tradition from which one can live well. While the rest of the Imotski region is waking up, Sušić is thinking about a Sur-lie version of Kujundžuša. But all in due time.

The current situation in these cellars is around 50,000 liters of old wine (red and white) and about 30,000 liters of new wine. The total calculation shows an increase in production, and his goal is to continue this trend. When it comes to bottling, he leaves a part in bulk every year, slightly more white than red.

After Kujundžuša, the most popular wines of this winery are Chardonnay, Pošip, and the black cuvée.

All black varieties are blends, with only sweet Merlot singled out as a dessert wine. In the blends, he mixes Merlot, Vranac. Vranac itself won an award in 2020, and the Grand Cuvee blend of Merlot and Shiraz was declared the champion of red wines at the Gast fair and repeated that title two more times at the fair in Mostar. It scored 92 points at Decanter.

Vranac is separately available from 2019 and 2020, which is yet to be uncorked.

Sušić’s Rose is also available on the market, characterized by elegance, lightness, and refreshing notes of strawberry and raspberry. But for that, we recommend visiting the winery on a hot summer afternoon.

A range of top-quality wines goes under the Jokan line, in honor, respect, and memory of Grandpa Jokan. Wines:

• Jokan Kujundžuša
• Jokan Chardonnay
• Jokan Crni cuvée (cabernet, merlot, trnjak, vranac)
• Jokan Crni – barrique cuvée
• Jokan Rose (merlot i cabernet)

The entire production is the work of one family’s hands. The head of the household and six children, half of whom are already seriously working in the fields. He is disappointed when he sees other vineyards in the Imotski region abandoned, dried up, without people and hoes. He believes that the future lies in the land and that those who turn to the fields will be wealthy.