Balaj Winery, Vlorë: Natural Wine From the Vlosh Grape
Vlorë
Artan Balaj worked in wineries in Friuli, in northern Italy, for close to ten years before he came back to Vlorë. He believed the land there could make good wine without chemical help, so he makes natural wine only, with wild fermentation and no added sulfites.
"Adding chemicals or corrections destroys the wine, the territory, and the variety."
Artan Balaj
His vines grow on sandy, pebbly hills between the Vjosë river and the Bay of Vlorë, a few kilometers from the sea. It barely rains there, and he still does not irrigate. The cellar is inside an old railway tunnel, built in 1928, that he turned into a winery.
The grape he cares about most is Vlosh, a red that grows only around Vlorë. He compares it to Nebbiolo, the grape behind Barolo: a light ruby color, elegant and complex, and not easy to work with. He makes it in small amounts. When we presented Albanian wine in Singapore, Balaj was one of the wineries we brought.
At a Glance
Vlorë · Winemaker Artan Balaj · Vlosh and other native grapes · Natural wine
Where to Start
The Vlosh, for a grape you will not find anywhere else.