Kastela: Wine & Olive Tasting Tour w/Delicacies & Live Music

Bottling wine sounds fun, right? On this Kaštela farm tour, I love the hands-on 100% organic orchard and vineyard walk, and I also love the fact you fill, cork, and label your own bottle. The one thing to consider is that it is a countryside experience, so expect a good amount of outdoor walking and bring comfortable shoes.

What makes it extra memorable is the way the day mixes agriculture, food, and music in one smooth flow, hosted by Kathrin (Family Farm Strizic). You sit outside under the pergola for Dalmatian bites, while Kathrin plays accordion in traditional folklore dress, singing along as the tasting keeps moving. The small group size, max 6, helps it feel personal instead of rushed.

Key highlights that make this tour worth your time

• Hands-on wine bottling from the fermentation tanks, plus corking and labeling
• Organic farm walk through olive and almond orchards and the vineyard, with seasonal wild herbs
• Cellar tastings of homemade schnapps and liquors, explained from grape to bottle
• Dalmatian delicacies spread paired with white and red wine, plus olive oil tastings
• Live accordion and folklore dress for a real, local music moment
• Small-group pacing so your guide can answer questions while you walk and taste

Family Farm Strizic, Kaštel Novi: what this day feels like

This is the kind of tour where the setting does half the work. You start on a family estate between olive and almond trees, with views over Kastela Bay and toward Split, in a calm rural pocket outside the city bustle.

I like that you get more than just wine. You get the farm story, from orchard care to cellar technique, plus a food-and-music finale that feels like it belongs to this region, not a staged show.

The total time is 210 minutes, about 3.5 hours. That is long enough to feel you did something real, but not so long that you are tired before the tasting ends.

The pickup plan: where you meet and how to time it

Pickup is included, with two common starting points. If you are staying around Trogir, you meet at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach, at the T4 Parking lot area. The walk is about 5 minutes along the sea side from Trogir Bus Terminal.

If you are coming from Split Airport, you meet at the Split Airport Bus Station on the main road, looking toward the airport building with the seaside behind you, and the glass-covered overpass visible near the parking and rental-car area.

If you have your own car, you can meet directly at the estate: Put Bijaća 38, 21217 Kaštel Novi, Croatia. From the Trogir pickup, it is about a 10-minute drive to the estate.

The organic orchard and vineyard walk you will remember

The day starts with an agricultural tour across the estate: olive and almond orchard plus vineyards on a 100% organic family farm. This is not a quick “look at a vine” moment. You walk through the plants while Kathrin explains how the farm changes through the year, from early spring to late fall.

One of the biggest draws is the sense of place through plants and scents. You might see olive and almond trees blooming or fruits ripening depending on the season, and you will also notice wild herbs with recognizable aromas.

Kathrin includes herb identification and picking during the walk. From the details provided, the kinds of herbs you may run into include thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, bay leaves, St. John’s wort, wild asparagus, plus other wild flowers and plants that vary by season.

That matters because it turns tasting into something you understand. When you later sample olive oil and food, you have a mental map for where flavors like herbs and aromatics come from in the first place.

What to watch for

This is outdoors on a working farm. Plan for uneven ground and real walking time, even though the group is small. If you have mobility limits, you should think carefully about shoes and how much walking you are comfortable with.

From olive to extra virgin, from grape to wine: the production story

After the orchard walk, the tour shifts from plants to processing, with an agricultural explanation of the full natural cycle from bloom to final product. You get info on how olives become extra virgin olive oil and how grapes become wine, tied back to what you saw outside.

In plain terms, this section helps you stop treating wine tasting as magic. You learn where the inputs come from and why the timing and techniques matter.

Then you head into the wine cellar. This is where the tour becomes hands-on in a very satisfying way.

Wine cellar tastings: schnapps, liquors, and why the guide matters

In the cellar, you taste homemade schnapps and liquors, and Kathrin explains how the wine making process works and how schnapps is distilled.

This is one of the moments where I think a good host really changes the experience. Your guide is not just pouring. Kathrin’s explanations make it easier to connect what you taste to the underlying process, so you can recognize differences instead of just sampling randomly.

The tastings also set you up for the big finale step with wine bottling, because now you know that there is a real system behind those flavors.

Filling, corking, and labeling your own bottle

This is the signature hands-on moment: you get the chance to fill, cork, and label a bottle of award-winning wine directly from the fermentation tanks.

I love this part because it turns a tasting into a take-home memory that you can actually use. It is not just “try a glass and go.” You leave with a bottle that feels tied to the farm itself.

Practical note: you are tasting and handling wine during the process, so plan to move slowly and follow instructions. Bringing a bit of patience helps, because part of the fun is doing it carefully.

Dalmatian delicacies under the pergola: what you actually eat

Once the farm and cellar portions are done, you settle outside under a pergola next to the olive and almond orchards. This is a relaxed seated tasting with local Dalmatian delicacies and wine pairings.

From the provided details, the food includes:

• dried prosciutto
• aged cheese from the island of Pag
• peka bread baked on a wood fire
• locally sea-salted fish fillets
• black olives prepared the traditional way
• cheese-filled small bell peppers
• cherry tomatoes
• tasting of extra virgin and wild herb infused olive oil
• organic hand-picked dried figs
• hand-picked dried and sugar-coated almonds

Those pairings are not just random snacks. They connect to the region’s staples: cured meats, sheep or goat cheese styles associated with Pag, wood-fired bread, simple tomato and olive flavors, plus herb notes that you were likely smelling in the orchard earlier.

The tour includes both white and red wine pairing with the delicacies. You also get water.

Accordion music and folklore dress: the cultural finish

The music part is not tacked on at the last minute. Kathrin plays and sings traditional Dalmatian songs on accordion while wearing traditional folklore dress.

This matters because the food and drink are already rooted in local traditions. Having live music in the farm setting is what makes the day feel like it belongs to Dalmatia, not just a stop for wine tasting.

If you like real cultural atmosphere, this is the kind of moment you will remember on the drive back to town.

Views, timing, and how the flow keeps you from feeling rushed

A good farm tour has to balance walking, learning, and time to taste. This one runs about 3.5 hours, which gives enough time for the orchard walk, cellar explanation, tastings, and the big “bottle your own wine” activity before you finish the meal and music.

You also get those calm views over Kastela Bay and Split. That is not just scenery. It helps you feel like you are stepping away from tourist routes and spending the day where food is actually made.

Price and value: is $173 per person fair?

At $173 per person, this is not a bargain-basement tasting. But when I look at what you actually get, the value feels more realistic.

You are paying for a small group (max 6), a guided agricultural walk on a 100% organic family farm, cellar tastings of homemade schnapps and liquors, and a proper food spread paired with white and red wine. On top of that, the tour includes the standout hands-on activity, filling and bottling wine from fermentation tanks, then corking and labeling your own bottle.

It is also a host-led experience, not a large assembly-line format. Kathrin’s personality and the fact that she takes time are repeatedly emphasized in the best kind of way: you feel like the tour is about her family’s work, not just delivering a script.

If you enjoy wine plus olive oil plus food, and you care about understanding what you are tasting, this price is easier to justify.

Who should book this tour, and who might skip it

This tour is a great fit if:

• you want a family farm experience with both wine and olive oil explained
• you enjoy food pairings and want more than small bites
• you like hands-on activities like bottling and labeling
• you want live accordion music and traditional folklore dress as part of the day

It is less ideal if:

• you do not like walking outdoors on a working farm
• you are traveling with kids, since it is not suitable for children under 18
• you need very limited mobility, since the tour includes an agricultural walk

Quick practical tips before you go

• Wear comfortable shoes you can walk in on farm ground.
• Bring weather-appropriate clothing, since the walk and seating are outdoors.
• If you are sensitive to strong food smells, remember this is an active farm experience tied to olives, herbs, and curing products.

Should you book Kastela Wine and Olive Tasting w/Delicacies & Live Music?

If you want the kind of day where wine tasting comes with context, and where the farm walk, cellar tastings, and food pairing are linked instead of random, I would book it. The hands-on fill-cork-label bottle moment is the kind of experience that sticks, and the accordion folklore finish turns a tasting into something you can talk about for a long time.

On the other hand, if you want a short, minimal-walking tour with zero farm time, this may feel like more countryside than you expected. For the right traveler, though, this is a strong way to spend 3.5 hours in Dalmatia.

FAQ

How long is the Kastela wine and olive tasting tour?

The tour lasts 210 minutes, which is about 3 hours 30 minutes.

Where are the pickup points?

Pickup is available at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach (T4 Parking lot) and at the Split Airport Bus Station on the main road toward Split. You can also meet directly at the estate, Put Bijaća 38, 21217 Kaštel Novi.

Is pickup included in the price?

Yes, pickup is included.

What is the group size?

The tour is limited to a small group of up to 6 participants.

What languages are the live tour guide services available in?

The guide speaks German, English, French, and Croatian.

Does the tour include filling and labeling a bottle of wine?

Yes. You can fill, cork, and label a bottle of wine from the fermentation tanks.

What food and drink are included?

The tour includes tastings and pairing of homemade schnapps and liquors, Dalmatian delicacies such as dried prosciutto, Pag cheese, peka bread, sea-salted fish fillets, olives, and herb-infused olive oil, plus white and red wine, and water.

Is this tour suitable for children?

No, it is not suitable for children under 18 years.

What should I bring?

Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather.

FAQ

Can I cancel for a full refund?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Is reserve now and pay later available?

Yes, you can reserve now and pay later.