📍 Shkodër

Shkodër is a wine area in north-west Albania, on a coastal plain that rises no higher than 300 metres. Together with Lezhë next door it grows Kallmet, the local red grape. The sea softens the temperatures, so wines tend to come out fresh and fruity.

The 2012 numbers show how alive this corner is. Shkodër county made 12,303 hectolitres of wine at home, the third highest figure in Albania, behind Fier with 21,737 and Vlorë with 15,580. Factory wine plays a smaller part. In 2013 the county's wineries produced 1,045 hectolitres, five percent of the national 22,352. A 2016 review lists Shkodër among the counties with the most wineries, alongside Durrës, Berat, Tirana and Fier.

Researchers know these vineyards well. At Mjeda near Shkodër they tested how thinning the bunches changes yield and wine quality in Kallmet, and in Malësia e Madhe they described the grape itself. A tour route built around Kallmet also visits wineries in Shkodër, Malësia e Madhe, Lezhë and Rrëshen.

Next to Lezhë, Shkodër stands out for volume, with 12,303 hectolitres against 10,260. Lezhë, though, is where the 2016 review puts the core of Kallmet. The north also differs from Tirana and Durrës, where the Shesh grapes lead. It sits within Northern Albania and Albanian wine as a whole.