Shesh i Zi
Albania · Red · Available (A–B)
Black Shesh. An autochthonous variety originating in Shesh village at about 450 m altitude, where today almost every family grows vines on pergolas in their garden. Together with its white counterpart it accounts for around 35% of the national harvest, and Shesh as a whole occupies about 40% of Albania’s vineyard area. Grown on the central coast around Tirana and Durrës, it makes medium-bodied reds with soft tannins; deeper examples show ripe blackberry and firmer tannin with reasonable cellaring potential. The most likely Albanian red to reach an export market alongside Kallmet.