When I found out that the parents of one of my friends own their own kantina (winery) I knew I had to pay them a visit. As we drove out to somewhere between Sauk and the mountains, I was taken aback by the rolling greenery framed by the velvety, mauve peaks behind. I stopped to take a photography and breathe in the fresh air before being led into Kantina Alimani.
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I love wine. Wine is great, and in recent months I have really begun to try and understand what wine is all about.; from knowing when I am drinking a good one to being able to pick out subtle nuances in flavours, smells, and even fancy things like tannins.
The Alimani family know a lot about wine. Hailing from Tirana, the Alimani family have over 28 years of experience in winemaking, gained in one of the most prestigious wineries in Rome- Poggio Le Volpi. Ramazan Alimani started his journey in 2000 working in vineyards and undertaking work such as pruning, harvesting, and processing. Then, in 2005, he was joined by Rezart who had just graduated from a school in Diber where his relationship with his grandfather, Kasem Kaleci- a renowned agriculturalist, fueled his passion for nature. Ramazan and Rezart Alimani then returned to Albania in 2016 to set up Kantina Alimani with the help of Denisa and Erjon, and whilst the name may be new, the years of experience that they have under their belt is set to stand them in exceedingly good stead.
Denisa, who involves herself in the businesses through her marketing skills, explained their ethos to me:
“Good quality wines do not have to be expensive- good wine is a right and we want to make high quality available and accessible to everyone.”
She continues: “We use the best grapes and they are grown near Durres, therefore benefiting from the perfect climatic conditions that Albania brings for grape growing. Whilst we do not own the vineyards, we rent them which allows us to ensure our capital, for now, is invested in technology, high-quality equipment and providing the best product at the best price”.
When choosing the perfect vineyard, Denisa tells me that they searched high and low for a dry, well-positioned location and a high altitude. This allows for a much slower maturation of the grape, resulting in an intense flavour and fragrance. The fruit is picked at the absolute prime moment and then treated with care throughout the whole wine-producing process. They are hand picked and processed in small batches (the kantina only produces 15k bottles a year at the moment) meaning that love, care, and dedication goes into every single bottle.
We cracked open a bottle of Shesh I Bardhe (a native Albanian white grape) and dug into a platter of cheese and meats. The Shesh I Bardhe comes with the distinctive Kantina Alimani logo on the front and if you pay attention, you can note the outline of Albania on the label (designed by Denisa herself). The wine itself is refreshingly light with a distinctly citrus edge with a hint of melon and some floral notes. It is smooth and easy to drink and it would compete well with any top quality and more established white wines. It went perfectly with the buttery cheese on our platter and I can imagine it pairing well with seafood pasta or a grilled oily fish. I gave this wine a 7/10.
Next on the list was the Chardonnay. Chardonnay is one of those wines that you either love or your hate unless you are me- I am rather on the fence and it really depends on the quality of the wine you put before me. I was unsure at first how the Kantina Alimani offering would fair, being a new winery and all but I was more than pleasantly surprised. This wine is highly drinkable and even those that “don’t like Chardonnay” would be able to enjoy this. A pale yellow in colour, it would go well with a cold chicken salad or shellfish, and the taste is not as overpowering as I have found with some other varieties in the past. A big thumbs up from me, 8/10.
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After a few glasses of wine, the conversation was flowing easily and we decided to head off to Lake Farke to drink some more wine and so Denisa could tell me a little more about the winemaking process.
“It is not just an art, it is a science,” she tells me as we sit on the shore of the lake, shaded by some trees from the scorching summer sun.
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“Harvesting is the first step in the winemaking process and an important part of ensuring delicious wine. Grapes are the only fruit that have the necessary acids, esters, and tannins to consistently make natural and stable wine. Tannins are textural elements that make the wine dry and add bitterness and astringency to the wine. The moment the grapes are picked determines the acidity, sweetness, and flavour of the wine. Determining when to harvest requires a touch of science along with old-fashioned tasting and trial and error. Alimani Winery picks the grapes at the moment when the acidity and sweetness of the grapes are in their perfect balance and since the harvest also heavily depends on the weather, a bit of luck is needed as well!”
All grapes are then sorted by hand before being crushed and pressed mechanically. The juice from white grapes is them pumped into large vats, whereas for red wine, the grapes are left in contact with the skin to acquire flavour, colour, and additional tannins. After all the grapes have been crushed and pressed, the process of fermentation can begin- a process that takes 10-14 days.
Once the fermentation is completed, the clarification can begin and the wine is transferred into different vessels such as stainless steel tanks or oak barrels in the case of Kantina Alimani Reserva. The product is then filtered and racked into another vessel in preparation for ageing or botting. Wine is kept in stainless steel tanks for up to 6 months and up to 18 in oak barrels which results in a more rounded flavour as well as fewer tannins.
The first reserva of Alimani was released this year with just 1000 bottles available. So far it has been a great success and it is my favourite of all the Alimani offerings- you can see my tasting video here!
Furthermore, they offer free delivery in Tirana (delivery wine, what more could a girl want?) and you can order through #kantinaalimani and @kantinaalimani on Instagram or Facebook, as well as through their website www.alimaniwinery.com. You can also purchase their wines from the following outlets: Nona Plot Me Gjona (Toptani Centre), Fish Line (Tirana), Ceren Ismet Shehu (Surrel), Jurgen Resort (Dajt), Select Hill (Dajt), MIA Organic (Tirana), Ferma Ime (Tirana), Vena (Tirana), Luciano (Dhermi), Morina Palace (Dhermi) My Ymmy Yoghurt (Tirana), Restaurant Bio (Tirana)).
I love to buy local and to support small and family run businesses and Kantina Alimani are a great example of not having to compromise quality for shopping local. I am impressed at how good their wines are for such a fledgeling kantina and I recommend that everyone try out the Merlot and the Chardonnay, if not the whole of their line. I am interested to see how this Kantina evolves over the next few years and I am looking forward to trying out the results of this year’s harvest!
Well done to the Alimani family and a special thank you for Denisa Alimani for her hospitality.
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