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

At Family Farm Strizic, wine tasting is only part of the story. You walk through an organic vineyard, olive grove, and almond orchard, then fill, cork, and label your own bottle straight from a fermentation tank. Kathrin’s personal hosting gives the visit its warm, family-table feel.

I especially like the chance to see how wine and extra virgin olive oil are made from start to finish, and the setting beneath the pergola, with views toward Kaštela Bay and Split. The food spread is substantial, with Pag cheese, prosciutto, wood-fired peka bread, salted fish, figs, almonds, and local olives.

The main consideration is the price, $173 per person. That is a serious spend for three and a half hours, though the small group, pickup, food, several drinks, live music, and hands-on bottle activity make it more than a basic tasting.

Key points

• Fill your own bottle: Draw wine from a fermentation tank, then cork and label it yourself.
• A real working farm: See organic vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, wild herbs, and the family wine cellar.
• Dalmatian food with local character: Taste Pag cheese, peka bread, sea-salted fish, dried figs, sugar-coated almonds, and herb-infused olive oil.
• Kathrin leads the experience: Her hosting combines farm knowledge, storytelling, food service, singing, and accordion music.
• Small by design: The group is limited to six people, making this a more personal visit than a large winery stop.
• Easy from Trogir or the airport: Pickup is available from Trogir City Beach or Split Airport, or you can drive to the estate in Kaštel Novi.

A Working Farm Near Kaštel Novi

This experience takes place at Family Farm Strizic on Put Bijaća 38 in Kaštel Novi, part of the Kaštela area between Trogir and Split. It is not simply a cellar with a row of bottles waiting for you. The farm gives you the setting and the raw materials behind the tasting.

The visit begins outdoors, with a walk through the olive and almond orchard and the vineyards. Depending on the season, you may see almond blossoms, ripening fruit, flowering olive trees, or grapes moving toward harvest. Wild thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, bay leaves, St. John’s wort, wild asparagus, and other flowers grow along the route.

That seasonal element matters. You are not seeing a staged display that looks identical all year. Spring offers flowers and new growth, while later months bring ripening almonds, olives, and grapes. The exact appearance depends on when you visit, so I would come ready for a countryside walk rather than expecting a polished garden tour.

You also hear about the work that takes place from early spring through late fall. That includes tending the trees and vines, managing the fruit, and taking produce into the cellar for processing. For anyone who wants more than a quick glass of wine, this farm-to-table connection gives the tasting a clear purpose.

Wear comfortable shoes. The experience includes walking outdoors, and the farm setting calls for weather-appropriate clothing rather than resort attire.

Bijaći and the Story Beneath the Vines

Kathrin also explains the importance of Bijaći, an area tied to Croatian history and dating back to the seventh century. The story gives the surrounding farmland a useful sense of place. You are not just looking at vines and olive trees in an anonymous rural setting. You are learning why this area matters in the wider story of Croatia.

The historical talk is part of the walk, not a separate museum-style presentation. That keeps it connected to the land beneath your feet. The exact amount of time spent on history can vary with the group and the pace, but Bijaći is an important thread in the experience.

Views toward Kaštela Bay and Split add another reason to take the walk slowly. The farm offers a quieter setting away from the city, while still sitting close enough to reach from Trogir or Split Airport. If your schedule allows only one rural food experience near the coast, this location makes practical sense.

From Grapes to Wine in the Cellar

The cellar portion explains how grapes become wine and how homemade schnapps and liqueurs are distilled. You can taste from a selection of these homemade drinks while Kathrin talks through the process.

The most memorable cellar activity is the bottle work. You get to fill, cork, and label a bottle of award-winning wine directly from the fermentation tank. This turns a normal tasting into a small production lesson. You are not simply handed a finished souvenir. You take part in several simple steps that help you understand how the wine moves from tank to bottle.

The activity should appeal to you if you enjoy practical demonstrations. It is also a good choice if you are buying wine at home and want a better sense of what happens before a bottle reaches a shop or restaurant. The experience does not suggest that you will make wine from scratch, so keep your expectations realistic. The focus is on seeing the cellar, understanding the process, tasting the products, and preparing one bottle.

The homemade schnapps and liqueurs broaden the tasting beyond the usual white and red wine format. They also reflect a common feature of family food production: the farm makes use of what it grows and produces, rather than focusing on one product alone.

A Dalmatian Table Under the Pergola

After the farm and cellar, you sit outside under the pergola beside the olive and almond orchards. This is the relaxed center of the visit, with food, wine, music, and conversation in one place.

The food includes:

• Locally dried prosciutto
• Aged cheese from the island of Pag
• Peka bread baked under a wood fire
• Locally sea-salted fish fillets
• Traditional black olives
• Small bell peppers filled with cheese
• Cherry tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Wild herb-infused olive oil
• Organic dried figs
• Hand-picked almonds coated with sugar

This is much more than a few crackers beside a tasting glass. The selection gives you salty, smoky, creamy, savory, sweet, and herbal flavors to compare with the wines. Pag cheese brings a strong island character, while the dried figs and sugared almonds finish the meal on a sweeter note.

The peka bread is especially useful because it connects the meal to Dalmatian cooking. Bread baked under a wood fire has a different role at the table than packaged bread from a shop. It gives the tasting a local food focus, not just a wine focus.

The fish is locally sea-salted, and the black olives are prepared in the traditional way. Those details help you taste the region in small portions. You can also compare plain extra virgin olive oil with oil infused with wild herbs. If olive oil is part of your reason for booking, pay attention here. The farm explains how olives turn into oil, then lets you taste the result with food.

Water is included, along with white and red wine. The food is served outside, so the setting and weather affect this part of the visit. On a pleasant day, the orchard seating should be one of the best parts. If the weather turns poor, the outdoor plan may be less comfortable, so check conditions before you go.

Kathrin’s Music and Traditional Dress

Kathrin leads more than the farm explanation. She also sings traditional Dalmatian songs on the accordion while wearing traditional local folklore dress.

This can sound like a small detail, but it changes the tone of the meal. You are not only eating and drinking. You are seeing a piece of local performance tradition presented by the person who runs the farm. It gives the visit a clear host-led personality.

The music may not suit every style of traveler. If you want a quiet, private wine tasting with little conversation, this experience could feel too social and theatrical. If you like food served with stories, singing, and a strong sense of place, it fits much better.

Kathrin’s role is central. She explains farming and cellar work, serves the food, hosts the tasting, and provides the music. Recent feedback has repeatedly praised her warmth, passion, and ability to keep the experience engaging. That personal touch is important because the group is capped at six people. With a group that small, the host has a direct effect on the quality of the visit.

Why the Six-Person Limit Matters

A maximum of six people keeps this from feeling like a bus tour stop. You have more room to ask about grape growing, olive harvests, wild herbs, distilling, or the history of Bijaći.

A small group also helps with the hands-on bottle activity. Filling, corking, and labeling wine is easier when everyone gets attention. The same applies to the food and oil tasting. You can ask what you are eating instead of simply moving down a buffet line.

The tradeoff is that the experience may feel more personal and less anonymous. You spend several hours with the same host and a small number of people. That is ideal for a social afternoon, but less suitable if you want to come and go independently.

The available guide languages are English, German, French, and Croatian. Kathrin’s hosting is particularly useful for explaining small production details that can be lost in a larger group.

Getting There From Trogir or Split Airport

From Trogir, pickup is at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach, near the T4 parking lot on Kneza Trpimira. The pickup point is about a five-minute walk along the seaside from the Trogir Bus Terminal, and the drive to the estate takes about ten minutes.

From Split Airport, pickup is at the airport bus station on the main road toward Split. The directions are specific because the pickup is not described as being inside the terminal. You should look for the bus station on the main road, with the airport behind you and the seaside to your right. A glass-covered overpass from the parking and rental-car area is a useful landmark.

You can also meet directly at Put Bijaća 38 in Kaštel Novi if you have your own car. The directions involve taking the airport exit from Split, turning onto Put Vlaka, then following signs for Put Bijaća and continuing uphill. The estate is near a large greenhouse, so read the directions carefully rather than relying only on a general map pin.

Pickup matters because the price is not just paying for a glass of wine at the farm. Transport from the listed Trogir and airport meeting points is included. If you are staying in central Split, the provided pickup information does not list a central Split meeting point. You should confirm the available arrangement before booking rather than assume hotel pickup.

Is $173 a Fair Price?

At $173 per person, this is expensive compared with a short wine tasting. The value depends on how much of the full experience you want.

You are paying for roughly three and a half hours, pickup from Trogir or Split Airport, a farm and orchard walk, a cellar visit, homemade schnapps and liqueur tasting, white and red wine, a large selection of food, the bottle activity, live accordion music, and a small group capped at six. The price also includes the host’s time across several different parts of the experience.

I would not book this only for the wine. If your goal is to taste two or three Croatian wines as cheaply as possible, a standard bar tasting or winery stop will likely offer better value. This is priced as a private-feeling food and farm visit with entertainment and personal hosting.

I would consider it better value for a couple or small group that wants a half-day experience near Trogir or the airport. You receive a meal-sized tasting rather than a few bites, and the bottle activity gives you something concrete to remember the visit by.

The farm also sells its organic products on site. Buying olive oil, wine, dried figs, almonds, or other products is optional and costs extra. You can make that decision after tasting rather than buying blindly.

Who Should Book This Experience?

I would recommend it to adults who enjoy local food, family agriculture, wine production, and a host with a strong personality. It suits couples, small groups of friends, and solo visitors who enjoy meeting people around a shared table.

It is also a good choice if you have a free afternoon between Trogir and Split, or if you want an experience close to Split Airport. The farm setting gives you a break from coastal streets and city sightseeing without requiring a long day trip.

This is not suitable for children under 18, and the stated age limit excludes people over 95. You should also be comfortable walking outdoors and sitting for a meal in an orchard setting.

You may want to skip it if you dislike live music, prefer a quiet formal tasting, or have very little interest in olive oil and farm production. The music, food, stories, and practical demonstrations are not side features. They are the point.

Booking Advice and Final Verdict

The experience lasts 210 minutes, or three and a half hours. Allow enough time around the start and finish if you have a flight, ferry, or scheduled tour afterward. Pickup and exact starting times depend on availability, so check the meeting details carefully.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the experience, and you can reserve now and pay later. That flexibility helps if your coastal schedule is still moving around, but it does not remove the need to check transport timing.

I would book this tour if you want a personal introduction to Dalmatian food and farming, not just a wine sample. Kathrin’s hosting, the six-person limit, the bottle-from-the-tank activity, and the generous local table give it a clear identity.

I would not choose it for a quick or inexpensive tasting. At $173, it asks you to commit to a full afternoon and a host-led format. For the right person, that is exactly why it works: you leave with a better understanding of the farm, a bottle you helped prepare, and a meal tied closely to the land around Kaštela.

FAQ

How long does the wine and olive tasting tour last?

The experience lasts 210 minutes, or approximately three hours and 30 minutes.

Where can I meet the tour?

You can meet at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach near the T4 parking lot, at the Split Airport bus station on the main road toward Split, or directly at Family Farm Strizic, Put Bijaća 38, Kaštel Novi.

Is pickup included?

Yes. Pickup is included from the specified meeting point at Trogir City Beach or the Split Airport bus station. You can also reach the estate independently.

What food and drinks are included?

The tasting includes white and red wine, homemade schnapps and liqueurs, water, dried prosciutto, Pag cheese, peka bread, salted fish fillets, black olives, cheese-filled peppers, cherry tomatoes, olive oils, dried figs, and sugar-coated almonds.

Can I make my own bottle of wine?

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

Is the tour suitable for children?

No. The experience is not suitable for children under 18. It is also not suitable for people over 95 years old.