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

The most unusual part of this Kaštela outing is not the wine tasting. It is the chance to fill, cork, and label your own bottle straight from a fermentation tank, after seeing how the grapes and olives are handled on a working family farm. Kathrin leads the visit, and her accordion, folklore clothing, and home-grown food turn a cellar tour into a full Dalmatian welcome.

I like the walk through the organic olive and almond orchard, where the plants, wild herbs, and changing seasons explain the farm better than a polished tasting room could. I also like the food pairing: Pag cheese, prosciutto, peka bread, salted fish, figs, almonds, and two styles of olive oil give the wine something useful to talk to you about.

The main consideration is time and price. At $173 per person for three and a half hours, this is not a quick stop for one glass of wine. It suits you best if you want a personal farm visit, a full meal of local tastes, and a small group rather than a short commercial tasting.

Key points to know before you book

• Bottle-making is part of the visit: You can fill, cork, and label a bottle of award-winning wine from the fermentation tanks.
• Kathrin is the host: Her personal presentation includes accordion music and traditional Dalmatian folklore dress.
• The farm is fully organic: The tour covers vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, wild herbs, and production methods.
• Food is substantial: Expect prosciutto, Pag cheese, peka bread, salted fish, olives, vegetables, figs, almonds, and olive oils.
• The group is limited to six: This makes the farm walk and cellar explanations more personal.
• Plan for a rural setting: Wear comfortable shoes, and allow about 10 minutes from Trogir by pickup.

A family farm above Kaštela, not a standard tasting room

Family Farm Strizic sits at Put Bijaća 38 in Kaštel Novi, between the airport and the towns of Trogir and Split. From the estate, you can look toward Kaštela Bay and Split while sitting among olive and almond trees. The setting gives the visit its calm rhythm. You are not being rushed from one sample to the next.

The farm is described as 100 percent organic, and the tour treats that word as a working practice rather than a label on a bottle. You learn how the owners care for the trees and vines from early spring through late fall, how the plants change with the season, and how the harvest becomes food, oil, wine, or spirits.

That seasonal point matters. Depending on when you come, you might see almond or olive blossoms, ripening fruit, wildflowers, or herbs at their best. You should not expect every plant to look the same in every month. The outdoor portion changes with the calendar, which makes the experience more connected to farming than a fixed museum display.

The small group limit of six is another important detail. Kathrin can explain the farm at a human pace, and you have a better chance to ask about pruning, fermentation, distillation, or the food in front of you. The tradeoff is simple: this is a limited-capacity experience, so it may not suit a large family or a group looking for a private party of many people.

The Bijaći walk connects farming with Croatian history

The first part takes you through the olive orchard, almond orchard, and vineyard. As you walk, Kathrin points out the plants and explains how the farm is maintained across the year. You may also identify and pick wild herbs, including thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, bay leaves, and St. John’s Wort.

Wild asparagus and seasonal flowers can also appear along the route. This gives you a useful reason to pay attention to the ground and hedges instead of treating the walk as scenery between tasting stops. The smells of the herbs are part of the lesson, especially when you later taste oil flavored with wild herbs.

The farm lies in the Bijaći area, which Kathrin presents as an important cradle of Croatian history dating to the seventh century. That background adds a sense of place to the visit. You are learning about food production in a location with a long human story, rather than tasting products with no connection to their surroundings.

The walk is not described as a difficult hike, but comfortable shoes are required. You will be outdoors among orchards and vineyards, so weather-appropriate clothing is sensible. The route will be more enjoyable if you are ready for uneven farm ground and a relaxed walk rather than polished paths.

From olive blossom to extra virgin oil

The olive section explains how the farm produces extra virgin olive oil and how care continues from flowering through harvest. You taste the farm’s standard extra virgin oil alongside oil infused with wild herbs. This comparison helps you notice how the base oil and added flavors work differently.

You also get to see the olive trees as living crops, not just as a bottle on a shop shelf. The discussion of care, harvest, and production gives useful context to the tasting. I find this especially valuable if you are planning to buy olive oil in Croatia, because you can ask how the oil was made before deciding what to take home.

The farm’s organic hand-picked dried figs are served with the food, and the black olives are prepared in the traditional way. These are small items, but they help connect the orchard to the table. The visit is not only about wine. It gives equal attention to the products that shape everyday Dalmatian meals.

Organic products can be purchased on site. Since the available items are not specified in detail, you should ask Kathrin what is available during your visit and how each product is packaged for taking home.

The cellar adds a hands-on wine lesson

Inside the wine cellar, Kathrin explains how grapes become wine and how cellar techniques affect the final drink. The most memorable practical activity is filling a bottle directly from the fermentation tanks, then corking and labeling it yourself.

That step gives you a clear sense of the production process. You are not simply hearing that the wine is made on the farm. You take part in one small piece of the work and leave with a bottle connected to the place where you tasted it. It is a particularly good feature for anyone who enjoys food souvenirs with a story attached.

The farm serves both white and red wine, and the pairings help you compare them with salty, creamy, smoky, sweet, and herbal flavors. The red and white wines are described as award-winning, but the greater value lies in tasting them beside the farm’s own foods rather than drinking them alone.

You also taste homemade schnapps and liquors in the cellar. Kathrin explains how schnapps is distilled, so this is a separate lesson from winemaking. If you prefer only wine, remember that the spirits are included in the tasting portion, but you are not required to treat the visit as a drinking contest. The pace is built around explanation, food, and conversation.

A Dalmatian table under the pergola

After the farm and cellar portions, you sit outside under a pergola beside the olive and almond orchards. The meal is made up of many small tastes, but it is more than a token snack. It gives you a broad look at the region’s pantry.

The spread includes locally dried prosciutto and aged cheese from the island of Pag. Pag is well known for its sheep’s milk cheese, and its firm, salty character makes a natural partner for wine and olive oil. Peka bread baked under a wood fire adds a rustic, filling element to the table.

You also receive locally sea-salted fish fillets, black olives, cheese-filled small bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. These foods cover a useful range of flavors: salt, smoke, cream, acidity, sweetness, and briny notes. That variety makes the tasting more informative than a plate built around one type of cheese and a few crackers.

The sweet finish includes organic dried figs and hand-picked almonds coated in sugar. The figs bring concentrated fruit, while the almonds add crunch and a dessert-like note. You can also taste the farm’s extra virgin olive oil and wild herb-infused oil with the bread and other foods.

Water is included, along with the white and red wines. The full table is a major part of the price, especially if you think of the outing as a combined farm tour, meal, and tasting rather than a simple winery visit.

Accordion music and folklore dress make the visit personal

Kathrin plays and sings traditional Dalmatian songs on the accordion while wearing traditional local folklore dress. This is not background music from a speaker. It is a live part of the hosting, and it changes the feel of the meal from a formal tasting into a personal introduction to local culture.

You should know what kind of entertainment this is before booking. If you want a quiet technical tasting with long stretches of silent evaluation, the music and singing may feel like more than you need. If you enjoy learning about food through the host’s own traditions, it is one of the most distinctive parts of the afternoon.

The strongest praise for this experience centers on Kathrin’s warmth, passion, and care with the presentation. That personal role matters because the farm is small. You are not being handed a scripted tour by a large operation. The character of the visit depends heavily on the host, and the available feedback consistently points to her engaging, generous approach.

The German-language feedback also suggests that Kathrin can make the experience comfortable for German speakers, while the activity is offered in German, English, French, and Croatian. Language availability can vary by departure, so confirm your preferred language when booking.

Is $173 a fair price?

At $173 per person, this is a premium half-day experience. The price makes more sense when you count all the parts: pickup options, a farm walk, historical context, the wine cellar, schnapps and liquor tasting, a hands-on bottle activity, a large food spread, white and red wine, olive oil, live music, and a small group capped at six.

You are paying for access to a working family farm and for Kathrin’s time. That is different from paying for a standard winery flight where the main service is pouring several samples. The bottle-filling activity and full Dalmatian table give the visit more substance.

The value is strongest for you if you want one well-organized food and culture experience during a stay near Split, Trogir, or Kaštela. It is weaker if you only want to taste wine cheaply, if you do not drink alcohol, or if you plan to spend the afternoon at several different wineries.

Pickup helps offset the cost for some visitors. From Trogir, the drive to the estate takes about 10 minutes. Pickup is available at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach, near the T4 parking lot, about a five-minute walk along the seaside from the Trogir Bus Terminal.

At Split Airport, pickup is at the bus station on the main road. The directions are quite specific: look toward the airport with the sea behind and to your right, then find the glass-covered overpass from the parking and rental-car area. If you drive, you can meet directly at the estate, but follow the supplied directions carefully because the address is in a rural area.

The experience lasts 210 minutes, or three and a half hours. That is long enough for a proper meal and several activities, but it also means you should not schedule it as a quick stop between airport errands.

Who will enjoy this Kaštela experience most?

I would recommend it to couples, friends, and solo visitors who care about local food, small farms, and direct contact with the person producing what they taste. It also suits anyone who likes to bring home edible souvenirs, since the farm’s organic products are available for purchase.

You will get the most from it if you are curious about how wine and olive oil are made. The explanations cover the full cycle, from blossoms and fruit to finished products, rather than focusing only on tasting notes.

It is not suitable for children under 18, and people over 95 are excluded. That rule matters because the experience includes alcohol, outdoor walking, and time on a farm. Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are essential.

The activity is also a strong choice if you want something personal near the Split airport or Trogir. The airport pickup makes it useful at the start or end of a Croatian trip, though you should allow enough time around your flight and confirm the timing before booking.

Should you book the Family Farm Strizic tour?

Book it if you want a full Dalmatian afternoon built around one family farm. The best reasons are the small group, Kathrin’s personal hosting, the orchard and vineyard walk, the bottle-filling activity, and the generous food table with live accordion music.

Think twice if you want a bargain tasting, a large commercial winery, or a short and quiet visit. At $173, the tour asks you to value time, food, storytelling, and personal attention as much as the wine itself.

For the right visitor, it offers a rare combination: you see where the products begin, learn how they are made, taste them with local food, and take part in the cellar work. That makes it a strong choice for a meaningful introduction to Dalmatian farm life.

FAQ

How long does the experience last?

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

Where can I meet the tour?

You can meet at Family Farm Strizic, Put Bijaća 38, Kaštel Novi. Pickup is also available at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach and at the Split Airport bus station on the main road.

What languages are available?

The tour is available in German, English, French, and Croatian.

What food and drinks are included?

You receive white and red wine, homemade schnapps and liquors, prosciutto, Pag cheese, peka bread, salted fish fillets, black olives, cheese-filled small bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, dried figs, sugar-coated almonds, extra virgin olive oil, wild herb-infused olive oil, and water.

Can I make my own bottle of wine?

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

Is the tour suitable for children?

No. The experience is not suitable for children under 18.