Gourmet products local specialties and wines North

Created in 1996 by the owners of the Hotel Turizëm Puka, this microbrewery produces four beers that are now found in numerous bars and restaurants across the country: the Puka blonde, the Vishnje amber, the Bock brown (Trappist-style) and the Weizen white. All ingredients (malt, hops, yeast, etc.) are imported from Germany, France or Belgium, except for the water, which is local and reputedly very pure. The tour takes you through all the stages of production: malting, saccharification, hopping, fermentation... and tasting!

Founded in 2005 and located at the entrance to the town, this association offers natural products (organic, but without labels) from local farms. The Puka region is famous for the quality of its "mountain teas"(çaj mali), dried porcini mushrooms and berries, notably the thana, from which a pink juice is made. 8 km west of Puka on the SH 5 in the direction of Vau i Dejës, the Catholic community of the village of Kçira also offers good products for sale: sausages, ham, herbs or infusions.

Since 2003, this winery has been producing excellent red kallmet and shesh i zi wines. The 50 hectares of vines are planted on the shores of Lake Shkodra and benefit from the Adriatic climate. Another production secret: no barrels, only stainless steel vats that do not alter the wine. A tasting session allows you to discover the rest of the range: cabernet, merlot, ancellotta, chardonnay and trebbiano. Not far away, the Kantina Kopliku also offers tastings and has a good restaurant (kantinakopliku.al, daily 12.30-8 p.m.).

This winery, founded in 2003, is not part of the Kallmet region, but it does produce Kallmet. With 100 hectares of vineyards, it is one of the largest estates in Albania. It is located in the small town of Rrëshen (population 8,000), near the freeway leading to Kosovo. Here, the Kacorri family offers to taste one kallmet and two rakis. However, the tasting tour is a little expensive. You'll have to pay extra to try the sparkling and white wines made from the shesh i bardhë grape variety.

This multi-award-winning winery, founded by the Gjini family in 2006, produces only kallmet, one of Albania's finest reds. Aged for twenty-four months, it comes from the estate's 10 hectares of vines, as well as from grapes purchased from small local winegrowers. The tasting tour (in English, booking 48 hours in advance) is also an opportunity to discover the raki stills, as well as a very fine olive oil made from leccino and frantoio (Tuscany) and arbequina (Catalonia).