Shesh i Zi

Today, we are going to one of the earliest wine growing regions in the world, the little Adriatic bordering country of Albania (as well as some of the Slavic countries, notably Serbia and Macedonia) to learn about its most popular red grape, Shesh i Zi, literally dark wine from the Shesh hills near the capital city of Tirana.

Shesh i Zi is probably not for everybody. It combines, in its most usual form, styles that may not be popular in the traditional "New World" regions such as the US and Australia. Unlike most popular red wines from those areas, Shesh i Zi wines tend to be very low in acidity and alcohol content rarely exceeding 12% alcohol by volume (as compared to many of the bombs being made currently in some of the hottest growing regions of California where some wines have hit nearly 17% ABV). Shesh i Zi tends to be harvested earlier than most red grapes as it is sensitive to the cooling coming to the areas in early fall.

When young, Shesh i Zi is particularly earthy and brambly exhibting notes of blackberries and plums that may sat in soil. For whatever reason that I certainly don't know, as the wine ages, unlike many others, the earthiness recedes and the fruit comes to the fore.

If you have the opportunity to drink Shesh i Zi, I recommend that it have at least a couple of years in bottle over which time the tannins will round out a bit. Then, pair it with duck confit served in a dark berry reduction.

Oh, and since it more than likely will be the only opportunity for you and your friends to try this grape, get several bottles and invite a group.

Në shëndet të mirë.

Comments

Post a Comment

I'd like your feedback and questions.

Popular posts from this blog

Gruner Veltliner

With some time to kill and wanting to see the countryside, but obviously not able to drive ourselves, we hailed an Uber to go from northern Italy to Wachau, Austria right on the Danube (little did I know that I would need an additional credit card for this trip). We're going to drink wine from the most widely planted grape in the country, Gruner Veltliner. As we arrive on the east bank of the river, we see a number of bottles set out for us. But, something is odd. None of them are the traditional 750 ml bottle that we are used to. No, the wine sometimes affectionately known as Gru-V is bottled in chubby, almost cylindrical with their short necks, 1 liter bottles with crown (you need a bottle opener, not a corkscrew) caps. In Wachau, most Gru-V wine is grown on steep, terraced slopes that have almost no ability to retain soil. Winemakers believe that the stress from lack of soil enhances the flavor profile of Gru-V. Our wines are white with a slight very pale green tinge to them
Read more

Mount Veeder

Bordering Los Carneros and almost directly to the north, what a difference a few miles makes. Today, we are in the Mount Veeder American Viticultural Area (AVA). The ride here takes only 15 minutes and if there were a raod that would take us directly, it might be only 5, but the terrain. climate, soil, and virtually everything else about Mount Veeder makes it unique. Likely the single most unique thing about Mount Veeder AVA among the Napa Valley appelations is the slope of the hillsides. When we visit the other mountain AVAs within the broader Napa Valley AVA, we see some pretty steep slopes that grapes are growing on -- 10 degree grades, 15 degree grades. In the Mount Veeder AVA, that would be looked at as perfectly flat. And, that is what makes Mount Veeder different. The typical 30 degree grades make access difficult. When we think about what a 30 degree slope really means, consider what it is like to get mechanical equipment into the vineyards. For the most part, it's just not
Read more

Wineries and Wine Clubs

Wineries treat their wine club members well. At least most of them do. And, they should.  Think about it. A wine club member is an automatically repeating customer. And, in being automatically repeating, these are not just any wines, these are the sought after, usually higher priced, limited production wines.  Wineries have three kinds of direct-to-consumer customers: those who come by the winery or buy through the winery website and buy once, those who are fairly frequent customers, but on their own schedules, and those wine club members who get multiple bottles of wine at scheduled times during the year and frequently buy more.  Frankly, it's a symbiotic relationship. The winery gets a group of loyal customers. It gets predictable purchases from a dedicated group. The wine club member gets access to wines that other might want and some other special perks. Some give occasional gifts, some give free shipping, almost all give discounts, and if you visit the winery, you likely get t
Read more