The area around Berat, Albania is well known (at least in Albania) for producing wine with local Albanian grapes, many of which I had never heard of (and still cannot remember). Loving wine and really loving the wine that we tasted in Montenegro and Croatia in 2019, Dan and I visited two wineries in the Berat area on our vacation to Albania last summer – Çobo Winery and Alpeta Agorturismo. We enjoyed the tastings and tours and I would recommend an afternoon visit to one of these wineries while visiting Berat. This article reviews our time at each winery.
ÇOBO WINERY – more authentic feeling, tasty sparkling wine, a good meat, cheese, & olive pairing
Our Berat wine adventure began about 25 minutes outside of Berat at Çobo Winery, which is mentioned in many a guide books discussing Berat. Side note, “Çobo” is pronounced nothing like it looks.
Çobo Winery.
We arrived at Çobo and drove up what appeared to be a residential driveway. And, it may have been a residential driveway, but it was also the entrance to Çobo. Our driver parked and walked us inside, where we were greeted by a Çobo employee. The employee gave us a quick history lesson on Çobo and a brief tour of the facilities, which were pretty tiny. The highlight for me was the wine themed mosaic in the cellar.
The drive way to Çobo Winery!
Outdoor tasting area at Çobo Winery.