Located in the village of Fushe Peshta, just 10 kilometres from Berat’s centre, winery Nurellari, now a famous winery also in Switzerland and France, has turned into a charming guesthouse and one of the area’s top destination. It was the government’s support through the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency funding that has prompted the investor, one of the most famous and successful winemakers in Albania, to expand his business and open a new guesthouse and accommodation facilities, adding to the numerous attractions in tourist city of Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Prime Minister Edi Rama has closely looked at the winery’s transformation into an eclectic guesthouse to offer an immersive wine and dining experience and an exclusive chance for visitors, who, not long time ago, after wine tasting were offered no opportunity to stay any longer and enjoy the climate and the area’s wonderful nature.

“The winery has become multifunctional. The charming guesthouse features several upstairs rooms and a shop window to showcase our wine products. The hall has been designed and arranged in an artisanal style. The guesthouse includes six rooms and around 20 beds. Each room features special design and furnishings. The guesthouse and winery have been specifically designed to offer accommodation and wine tasting experience,” Mr. Nurellari said.

He keeps on saying that type of wines produced at this winery have been exported to many European countries, including France, adding that a part of the new investment, thanks to the ARDA support, includes French wine barrels that add special flavour and aromas to the wines.

“With the ARDA funding we have bought 10 French wine barrels. They are 300-year old barrels,” he added.

Winery Nurellari is of the country’s most successful business models with a reputation nationally and internationally and has been awarded a number important international prices. The winery owns a considerable surface area in vineyards, but it also cooperates with local farmers. The key to its success is precisely the wine quality and time has shown that the climate combined with the fertile soil has been crucial. This has prompted Nurellari to eye agritourism, a sector where examples of success are increasing as a result of the government’s attention and support to this new trend in the country’s tourism industry.