Wine Tasting in Albania: the Best Wineries to Visit

Albania is a hidden gem of the wine world. This former communist country has a very old viticulture and produces excellent wine. On my last trip to Albania I visited as many vineyards as I could and had some fantastic wine tastings.

Wine tasting is a way to get off the beaten path and explore areas of Albania you probably wouldn’t see otherwise. Almost all wineries are in the countryside (which is stunning), far from the beaches and historic cities most tourists flock to.

The Best Wineries for Wine Tasting in Albania

Wineries in Albania are located all over the country, except for the alps. To help you find ones to visit I’ve grouped them by nearest city.

Timing of wine tastings can vary depending on the vineyard. Some you can just walk into without a reservation, others you need to reserve in advance, and some wineries only do tastings at certain times. It’s a good idea to call ahead.

Wine Tasting Near Tirana

Tirana is the capital of Albania and where most visitors start or end their trip. It’s a quirky, walkable city with a huge cafe culture and sites related to Albania’s communist past.

1. Uka Wine

Uka Farm is one of the better known wineries near Tirana. I rented a car and drove there, but it’s barely outside the city limits so you could easily take a taxi.

Uka produces four wines and grows some grapes on site, but also works with more than 250 local families to source endemic grape varieties. I really liked the kallmet (a red wine).

There’s an agritourism restaurant on site, so you can enjoy traditional Albanian meze or lunch with your wine tasting.

2. Cassar Cantina Winery

Conveniently located between Tirana and Durres, this is a fairly new winery. I didn’t even know about this one until I was invited here by some local friends.

The winery does tastings, and specializes in blending indigenous grapes with Italian varieties. There’s an Italian restaurant as well which is supposed to be quite good.

I haven’t been yet – but it’s on my list. It looks like a beautiful property.

3. Shehi Winery & Vineyards

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay on your first or last day in Albania, but don’t want to stay right in Tirana, come here. The winery is 13 km from the airport and has a comfortable guest house.

It’s small, family run and you can do a full wine tasting, see the vineyards, and have dinner. I haven’t been to this one yet, but locals have told me the wine is very good.

4. Kantina Binjaket

This one is located right in Tirana – no car required! It’s a very small winery owned by twin brothers (the Albanian word for twin is ‘binjake’).

This is an urban experience – it’s in the middle of the city, so no vineyards. The cellar is underground, and it’s surprising how big it is. It felt like stepping into an Aladdin’s cave of wine making.

When I went with my daughter one of the twins gave us a tour, while the other served us fresh cooked potatoes, opened up a bottle of 7 year old Merlot and kept pouring. The whole time friends and family were dropping in to buy wine or have a visit.

Not a traditional Albanian wine tasting, but a fun offbeat thing to do in Tirana.

Wine Tasting Near Shkoder

Shkoder is the largest city in the northern Albania, and the historic capital. It’s the jumping off point for the Albanian Alps, and surrounded by nature.

5. Kantina Arberi

Kantina Arberi is recognized as one of the best wineries in Albania. It’s close to Lezhe, about 80 km from Tirana. I haven’t visited this one yet, but really want to. I’ve been told it’s expensive, so just be aware.

There’s also a newly opened agritourism restaurant and guest house on the property. If you didn’t want to do a full tasting, you could just have a meal with wine in the restaurant.

6. Kallmet Winery

This is one of the more established and larger wineries in northern Albania. It’s south of Shkoder and also near the city of Lezhe.

I tried to visit for a wine tasting before having lunch at Mrizi i Zanave (the best agritourism restaurant in Albania) on a Sunday in October, but it was closed. So call ahead!

7. Agroturizem Kantina Kopliku

This small family operated winery is only 19 km north of Shkoder near Lake Shkodra.  They grow Albanian kallmet grapes and a couple of Italian varieties, barbera and trebiana.

Guests are treated to a full wine tour including vineyards and cellars, traditional Albanian appetizers and the chance to bottle your own wine to take home.

8. Kantina Mani

Another recently opened small winery near Shkoder. If you’re staying in Shkoder, you can easily visit Kantina Mani and Agroturizem Kantina Kopliku for a mini wine tour.

You can do a full wine tasting and tour, take a raki making workshop or have dinner. A tasting and dinner around sunset would be really nice here.

Wine Tasting Near Durres

Durres is Albania’s second largest city and largest port. It’s right on the Adriatic coast and famous for having the largest ancient amphitheatre in the Balkans.

9. Abaia Winery

This is my favourite winery near Durres and it’s only 8.5 km from the centre, so you could even take a taxi here.

Abaia Winery is a beautiful property, and the food that was served for my tasting was excellent – each wine paired with different meze. I chose the 3 wines and 2 rakis package for 2800 lek ($33 USD), and it was well worth it. I couldn’t even finish all the food.

I was there on a March evening and it was cool, so my tasting was inside the restaurant, but there’s a lovely outdoor terrace surrounded by olive trees. Make sure you see the cellar – it’s two converted communist era bunkers.

10. Kantina Enol

Kantina Enol is a bit remote, 28 km from Durres, but the location on the side of a mountain is gorgeous. I could see Preze Castle from the outdoor dining room.

I came here primarily to eat because it’s one of Albania’s best agritourism restaurants, but I did have an excellent glass of wine with lunch and toured the cellar. The dining rooms have lovely views of the vineyards.

There is a pretty steep gravel road to reach the kantina, but I managed in a compact car. The only issue I had was losing cell service because of the remote location.

11. Duka Winery

This is another winery I was really sorry I couldn’t visit when I was in Durres, I just ran out of time. I tried their wine at the Berat Wine Festival and really liked it.

The winery and restaurant are well regarded and in a beautiful setting near a lake. They offer vineyard tours, wine tastings and lunch or dinner with a tasting.

When I was at the Grand Duka Hotel & Spa in Durres, I noticed they were offering tours to Duka Winery – it’s the same owner. You could look into that if you don’t have a car to drive there. It’s 32 km from Durres.

12. Kantina Belba

This winery is located in the town of Kavaje, 20 km south of Durres. The cellars are on site and you can see them, but the vineyards are further away.

Wine tastings are in the restaurant, so it’s easy to pair the wine with food. Kantina Belba produces 3 whites and 5 reds, and I was able to choose which wines to taste.

The aged wines were excellent, especially the Shesh i zi Kavaljon. Prices were very reasonable – I paid 1000 lek ($12 USD) for 4 wines (food is extra).

13. Kokomani Winery

I really wanted to visit this winery and restaurant, but I was in Durres before they opened for the season on April 1st. Kokomani is very popular with locals and known for quality wine and food.

It’s 18 km from Durres, in the countryside and surrounded by hills. Guest can have a tasting with appetizers or a full lunch. All food ingredients are produced on the farm or sourced locally.

Wine Tasting Near Vlore

Vlore is the start of the Albanian Riviera, and the largest city on this stretch of the coast. It’s a favourite summer beach destination for locals and Italians because of the Vlore-Brindisi ferry.

14. Kantina Balaj

This was one of my favourite wine tastings in Albania. It’s just a small restaurant and winery, but the ambience, wine, food and hospitality of the family who own Kantina Balaj make it exceptional.

My tasting came with 3 generous glasses of wine and blueberry raki. The cellar is an old communist era tunnel built into the side of the mountain – perfect for maintaining a steady temperature.

I had an amazing multi course seafood lunch also. They have menus but don’t really use them. They offer a ‘mer’ or ‘terre’ set meal (sea or land), which is very reasonable. My lunch was 1500 lek ($18 USD).

I drove here on my way back to Vlore after visiting the archeological park of Apollonia. There’s no signage from the main road, but follow Google directions and take the dirt road where indicated.

15. Albanica Wine

Albanica Wine produces some unique wine. It’s completely organic, the vineyards are exposed to Mediterranean weather, and the wine is a combination of Albanian traditions and German wine making techniques.

The winery produces Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pules (an Albanian white grape).

It’s located 60 km north of Vlore (about an hour’s drive), and they have space for camper vans. The 750 year old Ardenica Monastery is very close by.

16. Kantina & Ferma Dukat

Kantina & Ferma Dukat is 28 km south of Vlore. If you’re exploring the beaches of Radhime or Orikum, it’s very close. You could easily stop here after the beach for a tasting and meal in the restaurant.

I wanted to come here when I was visiting the archeological site of Orikum, but they don’t open for the season until May 1st. As luck would have it, I am usually in this part of Albania in spring. It’s high on my list for when I’m there post May 1!

There’s a guest house here too. It would make a nice overnight stop to explore the nearby beaches.

Wine Tasting Near Saranda

Saranda is the unofficial capital of the Albanian Riviera. It’s crazy busy in summer, but a favourite destination of expats the rest of the year. It’s a small, pretty city that hugs the Ionian Sea.

17. Kantina e Veres Isak

This is one of the only wine tasting options near Saranda. So while the food and wine weren’t the most amazing I’ve had in Albania, it was fine. And my friends that tagged along genuinely enjoyed it.

And it’s close enough that you don’t need a car (7.5 km). We took a taxi there from Saranda for 1500 lek ($18 USD).

We toured the whole farm, olive oil factory (they sell it in the farm shop and it’s really good), vineyard and cellar.

We loved that they just left big carafes of wine on the table and 6 bottles of raki and let us help ourselves. So not much information about the different wines, but we did get to drink as much as we wanted!

Wine Tasting Near Berat

Berat is a UNESCO listed historic city, and in the middle of Albania’s wine region. There is a definite wine culture here. Many restaurants serve Albanian wine (not always the case), offer tastings, and Berat hosts an annual wine festival each autumn.

18. Cobo Winery

This is one of Albania’s more prominent wineries. I visited Cobo Winery on my way to Berat from Permet. It turned out to be one of the best wine tastings I did in Albania.

The outdoor tasting garden has gorgeous views of snow-capped Mount Tomorr and is surrounded by olive trees. The family dog slept on the grass in the sunshine. It was such a lovely atmosphere to do a wine tasting.

They offer two different tasting packages, and my daughter and I opted for one each so we could try everything. Both came with appetizers (olives, bread, cheese, cured meats), several wines and raki. The Shesh i Bardhe (white wine) was especially good.

19. Nurellari Winery

My daughter and I both agreed this was our favourite wine tasting near Berat. It’s located very near Pupa Winery, so you could easily visit both.

The wines were exceptional, the setting was beautiful, and it felt like one of the most complete wine experiences we had in Albania. We learned a lot about the production process, but it never felt overly formal.

The experience started with a tour of the cellar, bottling room, and fermentation area, which is housed inside an old communist era warehouse.

We ended in the dining room with multiple glasses of wine and several rakis. The appetizers were simple (cheese, olives, bread), but local and delicious.

There’s a new and very nice guest house. I toured the rooms and would happily stay here overnight.

20. Pupa Winery & Guest House

Pupa Winery is very close to Nurellari Winery, so it’s easy to combine the two into a mini wine tour from Berat.

I really enjoyed the tasting here. We didn’t need a reservation, although tastings don’t begin until 1:00 pm. For 1500 lek ($18.50 USD) the tasting included a white, rose, red, raki, and appetizers, which is excellent value.

Pupa also offers vineyard tours at 5:00 pm, although the vineyards themselves require an SUV to reach (they provide the drive).

The tasting terrace outside is lovely, but there’s also a beautiful indoor dining and tasting room that would be especially nice in cooler weather.

Pupa Winery has a restaurant and guest accommodation , so you could turn this into a full agritourism stay with a wine tasting, dinner and overnight visit. The whole property has a peaceful countryside feel.

21. Alpeta Agrotourizem & Winery

Alpeta Winery is located in the charming village of Roshnik, 13 km from Berat. It’s a full agritourism, with restaurant and charming guest house. The location is very scenic surrounded by rolling green hills and vineyards with views of Mount Tomorr.

Wine tastings take place at 6:00 pm on the outdoor courtyard covered by grape vines. They include a cellar and vineyard tour, three wines, two rakis, and appetizers for 2000 lek per person ($25 USD).

I visited in the afternoon and wasn’t able to stay for the tasting, but my daughter and I had the white a’Roshniku and the rose Trendafil with our lunch. Both were good.

If you drive here there’s a large parking lot at the end of the road, past the Alpeta entrance.

Wine Tasting Near Leskovik

Leskovik is a small town in the south-east of Albania. This region doesn’t get much tourism, and is an undiscovered gem. It’s a truly beautiful area, with the Vjosa River one side and mountains on the other.

This used to be a major wine producing area, but most vineyards were destroyed during communism. Wineries like Max Mavrud are re-establishing Leskovik as a major wine destination in Albania.

22. Max Mavrud

Max Mavrud does offer wine tastings, but you have to make a reservation – they only do them on special request. I tried their wines at the Berat Wine Festival and was impressed.

Their standard tasting package is 2,500 lek ($30 USD), and includes 4 wines, appetizers and a full tour of the cellar and vineyards.

It’s best to visit from Leskovik, or if you are driving from Korce to Permet. I started driving to Max Mavrud from Permet, but the road is very mountainous and I couldn’t face doing it again for a return trip on the same day.

23. Melesin Distillery

Melesin Distillery is located right in Leskovik. It’s an upscale guest house, restaurant and distillery that produces gin from local juniper berries, raki and wine.

There’s a real passion and commitment to producing the best Albanian spirits here. Melesin is unique and unexpected in such a small place like Leskovik.

How Much Do Wine Tastings Cost in Albania?

Wine tastings in Albania range in price. I paid between 1500 – 4500 lek ($18.50 – 55 USD) per tasting, which always included at least 3 wines, 1 raki and food.

The more expensive tastings included additional wines, rakis and meze.

The food varied between wineries, but always included local cheese, olives and bread, and sometimes cured meats, savoury pies and dips.

Good to Know About Wine Tasting in Albania

I’ve done a lot of wine tasting in Albania and here’s what to keep in mind:

• Call ahead to confirm opening days and times. Not all vineyards are open year round for tastings, and some only do them at certain times.
• Wine tasting in Albania always come with food. I have been served everything from simple cheeses, olives and bread to multiple plates of hot and cold foods.
• There is raki. Wine tastings always end with raki. I’ve tried everything from the standard grape raki, to unusual and delicious ones like blueberry and cinnamon.
• Tastings take about 1.5 hours. But you can stay longer. Nobody will rush you out.

Possible Wine Routes

Here are a few suggestions for mini wine routes you can easily incorporate into your Albania holiday:

• Berat: Begin with Nurellari Winery, then visit Pupa Winery, have a meal at Kodra e Gjelber (excellent agritourism) and finish with a sunset tasting at Alpeta Agrotourizem & Winery.
• Shkoder: Start at Kantina Kopliku, then visit Kantina Mani, head south of Shkoder for a meal at Mrizi i Zanave (best agritourism in Albania), then to nearby Kallmet Winery.
• Durres: Start at Kokomani Winery, then head to Agroturizem Gjepali for lunch (very good farm to table restaurant), then finish at Abaia Winery.

How to Get to the Wineries in Albania

You need a car to visit the wineries around Albania. There are a few exceptions, but the majority are located outside of city centres in the countryside.

In Albania I always rent cars through Discover Cars. I’ve had pretty good luck with them, apart from a couple of tire mishaps because some of the roads are terrible!

Here’s more information about renting a car and driving in Albania.

Wine Festivals in Albania

These are the two main annual wine festivals in Albania. There are also smaller ones from time to time, especially in autumn when the grape harvesting takes place.

Wine & Stories of Berat

Berat hosts this wine festival every October for 3 days. Wineries from across Albania set up booths in the main square and you can sample wine and chat with the winemakers. At night there’s live music.

I was there for the 2025 festival, which is how I discovered Albania’s extensive viticulture and the wineries in the region.

Artisanal Wine and Chestnut Festival of Pogradec

This 2 day festival is held in Pogradec every year, usually in early December. It’s one of the most popular festivals in the region and has been going on for over 30 years.

There’s music, traditional foods and wine competitions for best winery and artisanal wine.

Albanian Grape Varieties

Most Albanian wine is made from indigenous grapes. Some vineyards grow Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, and Chardonnay, often blending these with native grapes for some very interesting wines.

The most common Albanian grapes varieties are:

• Shesh: The most widely produced grape in Albania. It comes in red (Shesh i Zi) and white (Sheshi i Bardhe). The reds are full bodied, and age well. The whites have notes of citrus and flowers. Both are grown in central and north Albania.
• Kallmet: Also comes in red and white, but the red is more common. The red grapes are well suited for oak aging and are grown in northwestern Albania.
• Pules: White grape grown in south Albania. It is notable for floral aromas and acidity. It only takes 1 or 2 years of aging for a perfectly balanced taste. A wine maker told me Pules goes exceptionally well with seafood.
• Vlosh: A prized red grape, often blended, that delivers deep color, robust tannins, and rich spice and red fruit notes. Originally produced around Vlore.
• Debine: Also produced in white and red varieties. It’s grown mostly in coastal regions around Himare and has a lively bouquet with citrus notes.

Last Words on Wine Tasting in Albania: the Best Wineries to Visit

Albania is one of Europe’s most under-rated wine regions. The weather, unique terroir, and indigenous grapes of Albania make for some excellent wine.

But wine tasting is not just about enjoying wine, it’s about experiencing a vital and rich part of Albania’s culture. It’s one of my favourite ways to explore Albania.

Also Recommended:

• Agritourism in Albania: the Best Farm to Table Restaurants
• Saranda Agritourism: Wine, Food & Farm Experiences
• Slow Food Permet: the Best Restaurants
• 10 Day Albania Road Trip – See the Whole Country

Share on Social: