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

The most memorable part of this Kaštela experience is how much you actually do. You walk through a working organic farm, hear how grapes become wine and olives become oil, then fill, cork, and label a bottle straight from the fermentation tank. It is part farm visit, part cellar lesson, and part long Dalmatian lunch.

I like the small group, limited to six, and the personal hosting by Kathrin Strizic. I also like the setting: olive and almond trees, views toward Kaštela Bay and Split, wild herbs underfoot, and a food spread that includes Pag cheese, peka bread, prosciutto, salted fish, figs, and almonds. The main consideration is the price, $173 per person, which is fair for a three-and-a-half-hour private-feeling experience but more than a basic wine tasting.

Key points at a glance

• Bottle-making from the tank: Fill, cork, and label your own bottle of award-winning wine.
• A real working family farm: See the olive orchard, almond orchard, vineyard, and cellar rather than only a tasting room.
• Dalmatian food with local character: Expect Pag cheese, wood-fire peka bread, sea-salted fish, homemade olives, figs, and almonds.
• Kathrin’s personal welcome: She guides the visit and performs traditional Dalmatian songs on accordion.
• A small six-person group: The format leaves room for questions and a more personal pace.
• Useful location: The estate is in Kaštel Novi, a short drive from Trogir and close to Split Airport.

A family farm between Trogir and Split

The estate sits at Put Bijaća 38 in Kaštel Novi, in the Kaštela area of Dalmatia. That makes this a practical choice if you are staying in Trogir, arriving through Split Airport, or looking for a half-day outing between the two.

From Trogir, the drive to the estate takes about 10 minutes after pickup. The meeting point is Bistro Baketina at Trogir City Beach, in the T4 parking lot. From the Trogir bus terminal, you walk about five minutes along the seaside to reach it.

Pickup is also available at the bus station on the main road outside Split Airport. The instructions are specific because the airport area has several roads and parking zones, so read them carefully before setting off. If you have your own car, you can meet Kathrin directly at the estate.

The visit lasts 210 minutes, or three hours and 30 minutes. That is long enough for a proper farm walk, cellar visit, tasting, meal, music, and bottle activity without feeling like a rushed stop on a packed sightseeing day.

The setting adds real value. This is not a city restaurant with a few bottles displayed on a shelf. You are out among olive and almond trees, vineyards, wild herbs, and open views toward Kaštela Bay and Split. The experience works best if you want to slow down and give one afternoon to food, drink, and local agriculture.

Walking the olive, almond, and grape groves

The tour begins outdoors with an agricultural walk through the 100 percent organic family farm. Kathrin explains how the trees and vines are cared for from early spring through late fall, so you get a picture of the full yearly cycle rather than only the finished products on the table.

Depending on the season, you might see almond trees in bloom, olives and almonds ripening, or grapes developing on the vines. The tour also includes wild plants found around the farm, including thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, bay leaves, St. John’s Wort, wild asparagus, and other flowers.

You can identify and pick wild herbs during the walk. That small detail makes the farm visit more hands-on. It also helps explain why Dalmatian cooking often tastes so strongly of herbs, olive oil, salt, and sun rather than heavy sauces.

The farm walk requires comfortable shoes. Paths through an orchard and vineyard are not the place for thin sandals or polished city footwear. Wear clothing suited to the weather, since part of the visit takes place outdoors and shade will vary.

I especially like that the tour explains both olive oil and wine. Many tastings focus only on grapes. Here, you learn how olives are tended and turned into extra virgin olive oil, then see how that oil is flavored with wild herbs. The farm’s approach connects the food on your plate with the trees and plants you just passed.

Bijaći and the story beneath the vines

Kathrin also explains the importance of Bijaći, described as a cradle of Croatian history dating to the seventh century. This gives the farm setting a sense of place beyond scenery and agriculture.

The history section is not presented as a separate museum visit. It forms part of the walk, which is useful if you prefer local context tied to the exact ground beneath your feet. You hear why the area matters while moving through the orchard and vineyards.

Do not book this experience expecting a long archaeological lecture. The focus remains the farm, its produce, and the cellar. Still, the Bijaći connection adds a worthwhile layer to an afternoon that could otherwise be only food and wine.

Inside the cellar: schnapps, wine, and your own bottle

The wine cellar is the tour’s practical center. Kathrin explains the winemaking process and the cellar techniques used to turn grapes into finished wine. You also taste a selection of homemade schnapps and liquors while learning how schnapps is distilled.

The most unusual activity comes next. You have the chance to fill, cork, and label a bottle of wine directly from the fermentation tanks. You are not simply handed a souvenir bottle at the end. You take part in the final steps yourself.

That activity will appeal to anyone who enjoys seeing how a product is made. It is also a useful reason to choose this tour over a standard tasting, since it gives you something physical to remember and take home.

The experience includes white and red wine, so you get a chance to compare styles alongside the food. The exact wines are not specified in advance, and the farm’s production will naturally vary by season and availability. That is part of the point of visiting a small producer rather than a large commercial winery.

The homemade schnapps and liquors broaden the tasting beyond wine. If you usually skip spirits, you can still treat this as a brief sample within the cellar visit rather than the main focus of the afternoon.

A Dalmatian spread under the pergola

After the farm and cellar portions, you sit outside under a pergola beside the olive and almond orchards. This is where the experience becomes a relaxed meal rather than a tasting flight with a few crackers.

The food includes dried prosciutto, aged cheese from the island of Pag, peka bread baked under a wood fire, locally sea-salted fish fillets, black olives, cheese-filled small bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes.

The menu has a strong sense of place. Pag cheese is one of Croatia’s best-known regional cheeses, and the sea-salted fish and olives fit naturally with Dalmatian coastal cooking. Peka bread brings a wood-fire element, while the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs keep the plate connected to the garden and orchard setting.

You also taste the farm’s extra virgin olive oil and wild herb-infused olive oil. This is worth paying attention to rather than treating the oil as a dip on the side. Try to notice how the plain oil compares with the herb-infused version, then pair both with bread and the savory food.

The sweet finish includes organic hand-picked dried figs and hand-picked dried almonds coated in sugar. These are simple foods, but they suit the setting and give you a taste of the farm’s produce beyond wine.

Water is included, along with the white and red wine. Organic products from the farm can also be purchased on site, so bring room in your luggage if you want to take home oil, wine, or other goods. The activity information does not specify product prices, so ask before buying if you are watching your budget.

Accordion music and traditional dress

Kathrin plays and sings traditional Dalmatian songs on the accordion while dressed in traditional local folklore clothing. This is not background music piped through speakers. It is a live part of the meal and helps explain why the visit feels more personal than a standard vineyard appointment.

The music may not suit every visitor. If you want a quiet, technical wine lesson with no performance element, this format could feel more social than you prefer. If you enjoy local customs presented by the person hosting your meal, it is a strong part of the experience.

The reviews supplied for this activity repeatedly single out Kathrin’s warmth, passion, and ability to explain things clearly. Michelle from the United States described feeling treated like family and called the visit a highlight of her trip. Renuka also praised the combination of information, entertainment, food, wine, and a family-owned farm.

Those details matter because this experience depends heavily on the host. The farm itself provides the setting and products, but Kathrin’s role ties the pieces together. You should book it expecting an involved host rather than an anonymous guide who simply moves a group from one station to the next.

How the small group changes the experience

The group is limited to six people. That is a major advantage for a visit involving questions, food, bottle filling, and a walk through working agricultural areas.

A small group makes it easier to ask about pruning, fermentation, olive harvesting, herb use, or the products available for purchase. It also means the bottle-filling activity should feel more manageable than it would with a large bus group waiting for a turn.

The tradeoff is that availability may be limited, especially since the tour runs for only one small group at a time. If this is important to your plans, check the schedule early.

The tour is not suitable for children under 18, and the stated upper age limit is 95. The walking portion and outdoor setting also make comfortable shoes and weather-ready clothing important for everyone.

Languages offered are English, German, French, and Croatian. That gives you useful flexibility if your group is multilingual.

Is $173 a fair price?

At $173 per person, this is not a cheap tasting. You are paying more than you would for a short cellar visit or a simple wine flight.

The value comes from the amount included. The price covers pickup from the listed Trogir or Split Airport meeting points, a three-and-a-half-hour visit, the agricultural walk, cellar tour, schnapps and liquor tasting, a hands-on bottle activity, a full spread of Dalmatian food, white and red wine, water, live music, and a small group.

It also has the feel of a personal farm visit, which is difficult to compare directly with a commercial winery. If you would otherwise book separate transport, a wine tasting, a meal, and a countryside outing, the combined cost can make more sense.

I would consider it good value for a couple or small group that wants one polished food-and-drink experience and does not want to arrange several separate stops. It is less compelling for budget-conscious visitors who mainly want to taste two wines and move on.

The option to reserve now and pay later, along with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance, gives you some planning flexibility. Still, check the exact starting time and pickup point before booking, especially if you are connecting this with a flight or bus.

Who should book this farm visit?

I would recommend it to you if you enjoy:

• Family-run food and wine experiences
• Small groups instead of coach tours
• Local dishes with a clear regional identity
• Learning how products are made
• Live music and a social meal
• A rural setting close to Trogir, Split, and the airport

It is particularly useful for couples, food-focused visitors, and anyone looking for a slower afternoon away from crowded coastal sights. The bottle activity also makes it a good choice if you want a practical souvenir rather than another photograph.

I would think twice if you dislike group meals, live performance, outdoor walking, or strong local spirits. The experience is more than a formal tasting, and that is both its appeal and its limitation.

Should you book the Kaštela wine and olive tour?

Book it if you want the full family-farm experience: orchard walk, vineyard lesson, cellar tasting, Dalmatian food, accordion music, and a bottle you help prepare yourself. Kathrin’s personal hosting is central to the appeal, and the six-person limit keeps the visit friendly rather than mass-produced.

Skip it if you want the lowest-cost wine tasting or a strictly technical winery tour. At $173, you are paying for time, food, transport options, entertainment, and personal attention. For the right visitor, that combination makes this one of the more distinctive ways to spend an afternoon near Trogir or Split.

FAQ

How long does the wine and olive tasting tour last?

The tour lasts 210 minutes, or three hours and 30 minutes.

Where can I meet the tour?

You can meet at Bistro Baketina at Trogir City Beach, in the T4 parking lot, or at the Split Airport bus station on the main road. You can also meet directly at the estate at Put Bijaća 38, Kaštel Novi.

Is pickup included?

Yes. Pickup is included from the listed meeting points in Trogir and at Split Airport. From Trogir, the drive to the estate takes about 10 minutes.

What food is included?

The tasting includes dried prosciutto, aged Pag cheese, peka bread baked under a wood fire, sea-salted fish fillets, black olives, cheese-filled small bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, dried figs, and sugar-coated almonds.

Can I make my own wine bottle?

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

Is the tour suitable for children?

No. The activity is not suitable for children under 18. Comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended.