Viticulture in Albania

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vineyard and bunker in southern Albania

The viticulture in Albania can look back on a long history, but still experiencing difficult times. The quantities of wine produced are rather modest with a volume of 17,000 tons (2007). Most of the 105,000 tons (2007) harvested grapes are sold unprocessed as table grapes or processed into the Albanian national schnapps raki rrushi and other by-products. Of a maximum of 20,000  hectares of built-up area at the end of communism in the early 1990s, a maximum of 7,000 to 8,000 hectares were still used in 2006; however, the total area under cultivation is increasing rapidly.

history

Mosaic in the Butrint Baptistery (6th century)
Grapevines over an alley in Berat

The region of today's Albania is likely to have been one of the few retreats for the vine during the Ice Age . Wine was already pressed here in pre-Roman times and before the Greek colonization : The Illyrians produced during the Etruscan-Illyrian viticulture as early as the 8th century BC. Chr. Wine independent of the neighboring peoples. The oldest seeds found in the region are 4000 to 6000 years old. Various historical images - including those from the 2nd century BC And the mosaic in the baptistery of Butrint from the 6th century - testify to the social importance of wine. The wine was primarily consumed domestically.

Ottoman registers from the 15th century already differentiate between conventional vineyards , i.e. separate vineyards, and vine arbors or pergolas , long individual vines planted in gardens or tree plantations. In the Ottoman period, viticulture experienced a decline, but was able to hold out at least in some Christian-dominated areas. After independence, viticulture quickly spread, but was stopped in 1933 by phylloxera .

A significant upswing only started again after the Second World War , at the end of which, however, wine was still only grown on 2,737 hectares. In particular around Durrës , wine was grown on communist state holdings, which took up a large part of the usable area in this district. The country-wide cultivation area corresponded roughly to that of tobacco , but was well below that of olives and fruit trees. 40 percent of the production came from the state-owned companies, but they only took up 20 percent of the cultivated area. A large part of the cultivation area belonged to the village cooperatives. With more than 30 percent of production, a good part is accounted for by private vine arbors.
During this period, the wine was primarily consumed domestically. The export decreased continuously over time from 61,000 hectoliters in 1971 to 22,000 hectoliters in 1985. The reasons are primarily to be found in outdated production conditions and inadequate technical material, which made transport difficult and caused quality to decline. The export of easily transportable raisins (up to 3500 tons per year) was increasing , while the export of fresh grapes was marginal. For both raisins and wine, the country of origin Albania was rarely correctly stated. At that time 70% of 20,000 hectares of vines were used for the production of wine, up to 450,000 hectoliters per year. The most common varieties also included foreign ones such as Merlot , Kabernet , Pinot Noir , Sangiovese and Riesling ; In addition to sweet wines , two sparkling wines were also produced.
Although grape production played an important role in Albanian agriculture, it was marginalized or hushed up by politicians and the authorities. Since wine consumption is hardly compatible with the target image of a communist ideal society, viticulture was usually only mentioned in passing.

Production numbers
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2007 2009 2014
Area of vineyards (ha) 2430 8545 11020 16719 17621 9103 9806
Area of ​​productive vineyards (ha) 1200 2577 9944 10653 14058 7497 8532
Share of the productive in
the total area 		49% 30% 90% 64% 80% 82% 87%
Trees in vine arbors 2,222,000 5,082,000 5,997,000 4,466,000 6,063,000 5,520,000 5,503,000
Productive trees in vine arbors 1,696,000 3,381,000 3,650,000 3,013,000 5,571,000 4,757,000 4,916,000
Grape production (t) 21,400 22,300 64,500 66,200 91,000 146,500 162,800 203,700
Young vineyard near Përmet, southern Albania

Many of these areas under cultivation did not survive the transition to the market economy undamaged: the area under cultivation was previously many times that of today. Many vineyards were destroyed or abandoned. Only gradually did individual farmers start professional viticulture again at the end of the 1990s, so that today local wines are again available in Germany. In order to be able to cover the high demand for vines, varieties imported from nearby countries were mainly grown. In the crisis year 1997 , according to official information, wine was only produced on 4,300 hectares.

The large state winemaking company in Durrës was only privatized in 2001.

Growing areas and grape varieties

Overview map of the origin of the most important species
Bottle of Sheshi i zi from the Kokomani winery in Eminas , a neighboring village to Shesh, with an anniversary bottling for the 80th anniversary of the Albanian Football Association

Vines are grown practically all over the country. A distinction is made between four vegetation zones: the coastal plain from north to south, the hilly zone with heights of up to 600 meters - these include, for example, the Mirdita in the north, Elbasan and Librazhd in central Albania and Gramsh and Përmet in the south - and the foothills up to 800 meters such as Pogradec , Korça , Dibra and Leskovik . Occasionally, vines can also be found in higher regions up to 1000 or even 1300 meters.

The most important wine-producing areas include various traditional, predominantly Catholic regions around Shkodra (for example the village of Kallmet), the hills around the capital Tirana (for example the village of Lundër), especially the Berat region and the Durrës and Korça regions and Lushnja . In areas near the coast, wine was often grown on the plains, in the south partly on artificially created terraces.

Since the socio-economic factors in Albania did not allow a straight line development of the wine cultivation, old grape varieties ( autochthonous species ) have been preserved in the country , which survive in small, local varieties . Local grape varieties are in particular the white wines Pulës , Debin e bardhë and Shesh i bardhë and the red wines Debin e zezë , Kallmet , Serina , Shesh i zi and Vlosh . The less widespread and partly endangered species include Bishtdhelpra , Gomaresha , Mereshnik , Kryqëz , Maltëz and Tajka .

The white and red Shesh grapes, originally from the village of the same name in the hill country west of Tirana, together make up the most common variety with up to 35%. During the Turkish times, viticulture was suppressed in this region. During communist rule, the red shesh - also known as galeçik - was grown all over the country to heights of 800 meters. The grape copes well with drought and promises a good harvest. It was  grown in the Mirdita on marl-calcareous soils and in the coast of central Albania on loamy-sandy or sandy soils. In Western Europe, the white grape was partly sold as Riesling .
The Kallmet grape, probably originating from the region of Lake Shkodra as an original variant of Kadarka , is closely connected to the village of the same name in the Zadrima plain south of Shkodra. The grape is native to all coastal hill regions of northern Albania, but is also planted in central and southern Albania. New varieties are also being bred in Albania. It prefers silica and chalky gravel soils. During the communist era, some of the wine was exported to the GDR and Poland as Merlot . The Pulës grape came from central and southern Albania, was mainly grown in gardens and used to make raki. Today's very modest production is reported to have come from a single vine that has been preserved. The Vlosh wine is a specialty from the village of Narta north of Vlora , the Debina grape from the southeastern parts of the country. The Serina grape comes from the hill zone on the western edge of the Korça plain. There are also other local specialties such as Verë Leskoviku or Verë Përmeti , each named after their region of origin.

The north of Mat around Lake Ulza is home to the Ceruja grape, which grows on mulberry trees and can only be harvested in very small quantities every few years.

Current situation and economic factors

Today 13% of the Albanian farms (20,000 farms) grow wine on part of the cultivated area. However, the cultivation areas are often only a few hundred square meters, rarely more than 3000. All over the country, vines can be found in almost every garden, even in urban regions. In some regions there are still no vineyards, just pergolas that grow on fruit trees and are easier to maintain. House wines and grape juices produced for personal consumption are often used , but more important to the Albanians is the high- proof pomace brandy called raki rrushi , for which an estimated 50% of grape production is used. Raki has an important meaning in Albanian society at celebrations and the reception of guests and is often combined with toasts and congratulations. Rarely are also called konjac Skënderbeu designated brandy , the fermented grape syrup Pekmez , raisins and vinegar  produced. 20% of the harvested grapes are used for wine production.

Working in a vine arbor in the old town of Berat

The Albanian wine is hardly exported. By 2006 the export volume had risen to 49 hectoliters (worth 2 million lek), while at the same time 20,282 hectoliters (equivalent to 343 million lek) were imported. In 2013 the export volume rose to 95 hectoliters (worth 8 million lek), while imports were only slightly changed at 22,408 hectoliters (worth 766 million lek).

Wine bottling in the Kantina Skënderbeu near Durrës (2018)

Domestic wine consumption is not particularly high at three liters per capita.

There is a lack of trained specialists in Albania. The production techniques of many vintners who had no specialist knowledge and the state control are judged by observers to be inadequate and unacceptable . So it often happens that the content does not correspond to the label .

Albania does not have a cultivation stop like many traditional wine-growing countries in Europe. The state and foreign development organizations promote the expansion of viticulture. The selection of soil and grapes, however, often lacks any scientific criteria. On the other hand, there is a lack of offspring of  indigenous autochthonous species .

literature

Web links

Commons : Viticulture in Albania  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The information on productive vineyards for 2007 fluctuates between 6200 hectares (FAO) and 7500 hectares (INSTAT). According to the latter source, the area under cultivation should have increased to 8,500 hectares by 2009.
  2. ↑ In other sources only 105,000 tons are noted (FAO: Agribusiness Handbook Grapes, Wine (PDF; 1.6 MB). Rome 2009)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Agribusiness Handbook Grapes, Wine. (PDF; 1.6 MB) In: FAO . 2009, accessed January 4, 2011 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Tom Stevenson (Ed.): The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia . 4th edition. Dorling Kindersley, London 2005, ISBN 0-7566-1324-8 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Petraq Sotiri-Ilollari: Vreshtaria dhe verëtaria shqiptare / Albanian Viticulture and Viniculture . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 1 , 2006, p. 6-11 .
  4. ↑ a b Instat: Shqipëria në Shifra 2010. (PDF) 2010, accessed on April 24, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g Jancis Robinson (Ed.): Oxford Companion to Wine . 4th edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2015, ISBN 978-0-19-870538-3 , pp. 10 ( limited preview in Google Book search - keyword “Albania”).
  6. ↑ Albania in the Wein-Plus glossary. Retrieved September 4, 2012 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Gabriel Jandot: Le vignoble albanais du national-marxisme: silences et omniprésence . unpublished, 2005 ( preliminary publication (PDF; 1.1 MB) - summary of a presentation at the symposium Le vin et la mondialisation, Perspectives historiques et enjeux contemporains (XIXè-XXè siècles) at the University of Dijon on September 15, 2005).
  8. ↑ a b Spiro Shkurti: The myth of the migrant Albanians: Agriculture in the Albanian areas (13th-17th centuries) . In: Karl Kaser (Ed.): Albanological studies . tape 1 . Böhlau, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-205-98622-9 , Weinberge, p. 156 f . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  9. ^ William Le Queux: An Observer in the Near East . T. Fischer Unwin, London 1907 ( online ).
  10. ↑ Jochen Blanken: Culinary delights and twenty types of dry wine . In: Rüdiger Pier, Dierk Stich (ed.): Albania . VSA, Hamburg 1989, ISBN 3-87975-467-5 , p. 47-51 .
  11. ↑ Histori. In: Kantina e Pijeve “Gjergj Kastrioti Skëndërbeu” Sh.a. Retrieved January 8, 2011 (Albanian).
  12. ↑ a b Petraq Ilollari (Sotiri): Vera e tregut dhe tregu i Veres / Market Wine And Wine Market . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 3 , 2010, p. 5-6 .
  13. ^ Andreas Wildermuth: Agriculture and Forestry . In: Klaus-Detlev Grothusen (Hrsg.): Albanien (=  Südosteuropa-Handbuch ). tape VII . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1993, ISBN 3-525-36207-2 , pp. 343-375 .
  14. ↑ Gjergji Filipi: Vjetari Statistics 2010-2014. (PDF) INSTAT, 2015, accessed on April 24, 2018 (Albanian).
  15. ↑ a b c d e f Petraq Sotiri-Ilollari: Vreshtaria e re: nga fidani i hardhisë në shishën e verës / The New Viticulture: from the Vine Saplings to the Bottle of Wine . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 2 , 2008, p. 7-12 .
  16. ↑ a b c Wineries in Albania. In: Kantina Sara. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011 ; accessed on January 10, 2011 .
  17. ↑ Kush Jemi. In: Kantina e Pijeve “Gjergj Kastrioti Skëndërbeu” Sh.a. Retrieved January 8, 2011 (Albanian).
  18. ↑ a b c Petraq Ilollari (Sotiri): Vitis Vinifera në vendin tonë / Vitis Vinifera in Our Country . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 3 , 2010, p. 8-13 .
  19. ↑ Sheshi i zi . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 1 , 2006, p. 30 f .
  20. ↑ Callmeti . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 2 , 2008, p. 20-23 .
  21. ↑ Pulësi . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 3 , 2010, p. 21-23 .
  22. ^ A b Tristan Rutherford: Albania's wine renaissance . In: The Guardian . November 12, 2017, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed November 14, 2017]).
  23. ↑ a b Petraq Sotiri-Ilollari: Origjina dhe zbulimi i nocionit te "terroir" / The Origins and the Discovery of the "Terroir" Notion . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 1 , 2006, p. 23-28 .
  24. ^ Sven Christian: The Albanian Agriculture - current situation and studies on development opportunities of organic farming. (PDF; 4.2 MB) June 17, 2004, accessed January 4, 2011 .
  25. ↑ Ministria e Bujqësisë, Ushqimit dhe Mbrojtes së Konsumatorit (ed.): Vjetari Statistics 2006 . Tirana 2007, p. 118 & 132 .
  26. ↑ Eksport-Importet për Vitin 2013. (PDF) Ministria e Bujqësisë, Zhvillimit Rural dhe Administrimit të Ujërave, archived from the original on November 13, 2016 ; accessed on November 13, 2016 .
  27. ↑ Dashamir Elezi: Prodhimi vendas Nen hije / Domestic Production in the shadow . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 3 , 2010, p. 3-4 .
  28. ↑ Petraq Sotiri-Ilollari: Vera, tregu dhe konsumatori / The Wine, The Markets and the Consumers . In: Sommelieri - Revista Zyrtare e Organizatës Shqiptare të Sommelierisë . No. 2 , 2008, p. 5 .
  29. ^ Agricultural and Agribusiness in Albania - A Guide of the Last Years Development, Promoting the Agricultural and Food Production, Rural Resources Management. (PDF) In: BuyUSA - US Commercial Service. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008 ; Retrieved February 6, 2011 .
  30. ↑ Revista Bujqesia Shqiptare No. 9 2009. (PDF) Archived from the original on December 15, 2011 ; Retrieved February 6, 2011 (Albanian).
  31. ↑ Revista Bujqesia Shqiptare No. 11/12 2009