Experience Albania: Travel, Pictures, History, Culture

  Cantina Cobo (Cobo Vineyard) is a beautiful vineyard, surrounded by mountains and fields and views like the ones above.

James and I were invited by our friend Irene (the event planning extraordinaire of Berat) to attend Cantina Cobo’s celebration of the new grape leaves that are now out and thriving. With an invite list of 200, we were fortunate to attend and take part in the festivities.

Little did I know how much I would end up participating!

  I became part of a group of dance students (high school and university age) who study traditional Albanian dancing in Berat. They needed one more person and there I was, looking slighty able to wing such a performance. We demonstrated the leaf harvest, by picking grape leaves off the vine.  The end result was the making of a delicious Albanian cuisine called ‘Japrak,’ or grape leaves stuffed with rice.

  The procession to the woman at the table below - she was swiftly and confidently stuffing grape leaves full of rice.

  This trio of flute players were amazing - they played while we demonstrated the leaf picking.

Party details - good work, Irene!

  Inside the tasting room/building - they’ve made so many improvements since I’d last been there in November.

 My favorite picture - a successful event and an awesome evening!