Albania (officially the Republic of Albania) is a small country which borders the southern Adriatic Sea and looks towards Puglia, the heel of Italy. Across this stretch of water, several of the world's great grape varieties once travelled and were harnessed by the Etruscans, Romans and eventually the modern Italians and French. The vine known in the US as Zinfandel and in Italy as Primitivo was one such variety, and is thought to have arrived in Puglia with merchants traveling from east to west across the Adriatic. Whether it originally came from what is now Albania, or from one of its neighbors on this coastline (Greece to the south and Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia to the north) is not entirely clear, but this area was vital in the development of man's long-standing relationship with vines and wines.
Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years, right up until 1912 when its people re-established their independence. During this time the religious laws of Islam outlawed the consumption of alcohol, so Albania's viticulture and winemaking traditions had faded. The declaration of independence caused a sudden and dramatic increase in vineyard plantings, although two world wars and an outbreak of phylloxera quashed these early signs of modern Albanian wine production.
Albanian can be separated into four wine regions, defined mostly by their altitude. The highest vineyards sit at altitudes of approximately 1000m (3300ft), which is relatively low when compared to Switzerland or northern Italy. These are found inland, in the foothills of the Pindus and Prokletije mountains (the Albanian Alps). Below these are the vines surrounding towns such as Pogradec, Leskovic and Korca, sitting at around 700m (2300ft). Sloping down from the hills to the coastal plains, the vines grow at anything from 600m (1970ft) to sea level, and seaside vineyards are increasingly common.
This country's wine is distinguished by its sweeter style in a time when the world is moving steadily towards dry reds. Albania is currently engaged in efforts to increase its profile as a source of quality wines, and not just as a producer of raki. The indigenous varieties Debina, Mereshnik and Serine (the latter has light- and dark-skinned mutations) are joined by better-known, international varieties such as Riesling and Furmint (the grape most famous for its role in Tokaji).
