Gourmet products local specialties and wines Albania

French engineer Marie-Thérèse Marchal arrived in 1989 to work on Tirana's drinking water network, and ten years later opened this bakery-pastry shop-tea room. "A slice of France in the middle of Blloku", she says. And it's true that here you'll find baguettes, croissants, sandwiches, quiches, tarts, mille-feuilles, Niçoise salad and macaroons. An address much appreciated by the locals. It is located on the northern edge of Blloku, opposite the Swiss Embassy and close to the Sky Tower.

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.

Since 1992, this confectionery workshop affiliated with the slow food movement has been preparing Përmet's great specialty: gliko. These are candied fruits or vegetables also found in Greece and Cyprus under the name glyko tou koutaliou ("dessert with a spoon"). Almost everything here is candied: plums, cherries, figs, watermelons, grapes, strawberries, apricots, figs, eggplants, tomatoes, rose petals and more. And don't forget to try the gliko arre, made from whole walnuts (with the shell) that are still green. Caloric but delicious!

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).

Founded in 2000, this winery is the largest in the region. The owner, Menelaos Lëmi, buys his grapes from local winegrowers and produces the Menea line: red wines made from merlot, cabernet sauvignon and mavrud (originally from Bulgarian Thrace), white riesling, rosé, not forgetting of course the typical rakis made from serina (a local variety derived from blaufränkisch), perle (a German variety) and fruit (apple or quince). Visits and tastings by appointment only.

In the pleasant district of Pazari i Ri, the "green market" hall (Markata e Gjelber) is an interesting shopping stop. You'll find fruit and vegetables, as well as cheeses, olives, dried fruit, honey, herbs and infusions, alcohol (raki, wine), olive wood utensils, pottery and souvenirs. As it's very popular with tourists, prices are a little high, but on the whole not very expensive.

This winegrowing and agricultural estate is located on a small plain near the sea at the foot of the Acroceraunian mountains, between Orikum and the village of Dukat. The Harizi family has been managing 10 ha of vines here since 1993. Three red wines are produced from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Vlosh (an Albanian grape close to Cabernet Sauvignon). Chardonnay is grown for the white. Tasting and sale of wine, pomegranate wine, raki, honey, cheese, herbs and homemade bread. Best of all, lunch on site (reservation required).

Albania's second-largest industrial brewery has a pleasant restaurant here, with a charming terrace. The menu features mainly grilled meats and salads, and of course beer. During the week, free tours of the facilities are offered during the day. Founded by Venetian Umberto Uberti in 1928, the brewery is now owned by Albanian businessman Irfan Hysenbelliu. The brewery produces five beers and organizes the Korça Beer Fest, Albania's biggest festive event, in mid-August.

This winery was founded in 1993 by the family of Ersol Caco, one of the country's top sommeliers. Today, he manages the estate and offers two wines named after the ancient town of Ohrid, Lychnidos: Lynnid i Bardhe, a white made from tokay, muscat and riesling; and Lyhnid i Kuq, a red made from merlot and gems, a rare local grape variety. Also worth trying: three rakis, a rosé made from the Bulgarian pamid grape and the excellent Harmoni red (merlot and gems). Beware, prices are high.

Since 2004, Enver Duka has been cultivating 5 hectares of vines in the small wine-growing region of Ishëm, on terraces between sea and forest. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo (a Spanish red grape variety), Shesh i Bardhë (a local white grape variety) and, of course, the unmissable Raki are produced here. Enjoy a wine tasting or a meal at the estate's fine restaurant, which boasts views across the hills to the sea. Garden and small lake with excursion boats. Beware, the road to the estate is difficult.