Sousón (so-SAWN) is a red wine grape from Galicia.
What is sousón?
Sousón is the second most-planted red grape in Galicia. It’s the most common red grape in Rías Baixas and takes second place in Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei.
What does Sousón smell like?
Wines made from sousón stand out for their nose of ripe black fruit like plums and blackberries. Sometimes the wines can have a canned cherry pie quality to them, with more mature fruit tones coming out. Floral aromas are also common.
What does Sousón taste like?
Sousón makes high-alcohol wines (for Galicia), usually falling between 12.5 and 14%. They’re structured, with good acidity and tannins. The best sousóns usually have some wood age to mellow their tannins and create a rounder mouthfeel. It’s still not very common to see single-variety sousón, as it usually pops up in the form of a blend.
Where does sousón come from?
Sousón is from the Miño river valley in Galicia and north-west Portugal, where it’s called Vinhão. Around 1790, it was introduced to the Douro under the name Sousão and used to darken port wines.