Artan Balaj
In Albania, in the wine region of Vlore, lies the small artisanal reality of Artan Balaj, dedicated to the production of genuine wines capable of expressing the essence of the territory. The estate is located precisely in the area of Mifol, overlooking the southern part of the Adriatic Sea with Salento in view. Artan started his winemaking activity after studying oenology in Italy and accumulating extensive winemaking experience in Tuscany and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where among other things he learned the art of orange winemaking from the renowned and appreciated producer Damijan Podversic. In 2007 he returned to Albania with the intention of embarking on a personal adventure, enhancing a territory where vine cultivation had long been prohibited due to Ottoman domination, although the conditions for quality production are all there. After three years of trials with the planting of various varieties, both indigenous and international, Artan chose to focus on the former. The winery is housed within a gallery originally built as a passage for the military railway.
The 5 hectares of vineyards cultivated by Artan Balaj are located close to the sea, with the nearby presence of salt pans contributing to the brackish character of the wines. Here, on clay-limestone soils and in a rather warm and dry climate mitigated by Mediterranean winds, indigenous varieties such as Shesh i Bardhé for white grapes and Vlosh for red grapes are grown. Artan embraces highly sustainable viticulture and chooses to harvest only when the grapes have reached full ripeness. In the winery, even the white grapes undergo long macerations on the skins, up to 40 days in the case of ‘Plithure Trevllazer’. Fermentations are entrusted exclusively to indigenous yeasts and stainless steel tanks are mostly used as winemaking containers.
In the selection of Artan Balaj's winery, the macerated white wine ‘Plithure Trevllazer’ stands out, a deep and complex interpretation of the local grape variety Shesh i Bardhé.
In Albania, in the wine region of Vlore, lies the small artisanal reality of Artan Balaj, dedicated to the production of genuine wines capable of expressing the essence of the territory. The estate is located precisely in the area of Mifol, overlooking the southern part of the Adriatic Sea with Salento in view. Artan started his winemaking activity after studying oenology in Italy and accumulating extensive winemaking experience in Tuscany and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where among other things he learned the art of orange winemaking from the renowned and appreciated producer Damijan Podversic. In 2007 he returned to Albania with the intention of embarking on a personal adventure, enhancing a territory where vine cultivation had long been prohibited due to Ottoman domination, although the conditions for quality production are all there. After three years of trials with the planting of various varieties, both indigenous and international, Artan chose to focus on the former. The winery is housed within a gallery originally built as a passage for the military railway.
The 5 hectares of vineyards cultivated by Artan Balaj are located close to the sea, with the nearby presence of salt pans contributing to the brackish character of the wines. Here, on clay-limestone soils and in a rather warm and dry climate mitigated by Mediterranean winds, indigenous varieties such as Shesh i Bardhé for white grapes and Vlosh for red grapes are grown. Artan embraces highly sustainable viticulture and chooses to harvest only when the grapes have reached full ripeness. In the winery, even the white grapes undergo long macerations on the skins, up to 40 days in the case of ‘Plithure Trevllazer’. Fermentations are entrusted exclusively to indigenous yeasts and stainless steel tanks are mostly used as winemaking containers.
In the selection of Artan Balaj's winery, the macerated white wine ‘Plithure Trevllazer’ stands out, a deep and complex interpretation of the local grape variety Shesh i Bardhé.
