The territory that is now Albania was one of few places where wine has naturally grown during the Ice Age. The oldest found seeds in the region are between 4,000 and 6,000 years old. Along with the neighbouring Greece, Albania has the longest continuous history of viticulture in Europe. Within Illyria it existed hundreds of years before the expansion of the Roman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula. The ancient Roman writer Pliny the Elder described Illyrian wine as being very sweet or luscious and refers to it as taking the third rank among all the wines.
During the Roman period, wine production increased and became more organized. Decorations on numerous religious and household items bear witness to the wine-making culture such as in Butrint. Although later in the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks arrived in Southeastern Europe. During that period the vineyards experienced a decline and were mostly found in Christian-majority regions. After the Albanian Declaration of Independence, viticulture gained widespread popularity but was almost destroyed in 1933 by phylloxera. A significant upturn began only after the Second World War, at the end of which wine was still cultivated on only 2737 hectares. The most important producing region was around Durrës, where grapes were grown by communist state enterprises. In that time the nationwide acreage corresponded approximately to that of tobacco, but was significantly lower than that of olive and fruit trees. The exported wine was consumed primarily in Germany. The export decreased continuously from 61,000 hectoliters in 1971 to 22,000 hectoliters in 1985. The reasons are to be found mainly in outdated production conditions and insufficient technical material that made it difficult to transport and lowered the quality. On the other hand, the export of easily transportable raisins was continuously in increase, while the export of fresh grapes was marginal. The most common varieties were Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Riesling. Wine production in Communist Albania reached its peak in 1972. At this time there were 23 operating wineries and 47 grape production sites. They survived the transition to a market economy in good condition. Vineyards and wine production has been steadily increasing in recent years following the institution of democracy and capitalism.
Production
Wine regions
Albania can be separated into four wine regions, which are mainly defined by their altitude. The regions includes the Coastal plains, Central hilly region, Eastern mountainous region and Mountain region. The highest vineyards sit at altitudes of approximately in the slopes of the Albanian Alps in the north and Pindus Mountains in the southeast.
The main indigenous grape varieties found in Albania are: Shesh, Kallmet, Vlosh, Serinë, Pulës, Cërujë, Mereshnik, Debin, Kryqës, Mjaltëz, Mavrud, Manakuq, Kotekë, Vranac, Stambolleshë, Babasan, Tajgë, etc.
List of Wineries
Wineries in Albania include: Medaur, Kallmeti, Rilindja, Skënderbeu, Çobo, Luani, Bardha, Arbëri, Sara, Alimani, Vintage, Constantino Spanchis, Kardinal, Zika, Belba, Nurellari, Balaj, Koto, Vila Duka, Vila Shehi, Vila Hadaj, Belba, Enol, Korca 2000, and Kokomani.
Preferences
According to Nasse and Zigori the best native Albanian wine varieties are Debinë, Kallmet, Mereshnik, Mjaltëz, Serinë, Shesh i Bardhë, and Vlosh. The best wine-producing regions are Berat, Korçë, Tiranë, Durrës and the region between Lezhë and Shkodër.
