Albania · ALBANIAN WINE TASTINGS IN TIRANA
Good albanian wine tastings in Tirana fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 6 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Ride from Durrës to the hills above the Adriatic for a four-hour vineyard visit with guides such as Mario, Elena, and Erisa. Walk among the vines, tour a wine cellar built into old Communist-era bunkers, then taste local wines, cheeses, cured meats, olive oil, raki, and brandy.
“Tour was amazing to get both bits of history as well as wine knowledge. Mario is a fantastic guide.”
Travel from Tirana or Durres to a vineyard beside a blue-green lake. Tour the cellar, taste merlot, tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, homemade raki, and Albanian snacks, then take a boat ride. Rio handles the drive, while Elena may lead the winery visit.
“The driver picked us up from Tirana, but we waited for almost an hour because he blamed the traffic jam. I believe better planning could have avoided this delay. During the trip, he only talked about himself and his favorite cars instead of discussing the country and its history—or he could have simply been quiet. While driving, he constantly checked his phone and watched YouTube for music, which was very dangerous. Then, at the winery, he introduced us to an unprofessional guide who spoke for barely 10 minutes about the winery's history and production process. I expected more: a demonstration of wine tasting, how to appreciate different wine aromas, and…”
Travel from Berat to a regional winery in a small group, meet a family member who explains the winemaking process, and taste three selected wines, raki, olives, cheese, and vegetables. The winery may be Edoni, Alpeta, or Pupa, depending on availability.
“I cannot recommend this tour enough, it was a highlight of our trip! Learned lots of interesting things about the vineyard and the wine making process, tasted delicious wines and had so much fun! The Professor was a great guide.”
Travel from Berat in a private vehicle, hike about 40 minutes through forest to Bogova Waterfall, then visit Nurellari Winery for local wines, seasonal snacks, and a guided tasting. Guides such as Geraldo and Orest add history and local context. Swimming is welcome.
“We thoroughly enjoyed our tour thanks to the amazing guide, Geraldo. We learnt a lot about the regions history and culture. The walk to the waterfall was easy and the water cold and refreshing. The winery was really good. We opted to have lunch there and feasted on local food. Definitely a highlight of our trip to Berat.”
Meet Lundra Wine in its own vineyard near Tirana for a 90-minute English tour of the family winery, grape growing, fermentation, and bottling. You will taste white, rosé, red wine, and raki with local snacks. Comfortable shoes matter, and transport is not included.
“This was one of the best experience ever. The wine tour was just magnificent and my family and I thoughly enjoyed the wine tasting.”
Join guide Nick from Tirana or Durres for a relaxed six-hour trip to Librazhd. Tour a winery built with Soviet equipment, taste local wines, four types of raki, fernet, and cognac, then enjoy a traditional meat-based lunch and coffee in town.
“Our guide Nick was very knowledgeable and passionate to show us Librazhd and the winery. He started with guiding us brief history of Albania and walked us through the winery. We had been to some vineyards, brewery in other countries but a winery at Soviet regime is nothing to compare with. We visited the laboratory, distillery, bottling, then we at highlight of the tour, we tasted different kinds of liquor, alcohol that's produced there! We chatted over the drinks, about Albanian culture, history, politics, wine business. We bought a few bottles back as Albanian wines are hard to find in super markets. All in all we had a wonderful time…”
Pick a harbour, a spring or a mountain road.
