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

The best part of this experience is that it goes beyond a wine tasting. At Family Farm Strizic, Kathrin leads you through the organic vineyards, olive groves, and almond orchard, then shows how the farm’s products move from tree and vine to table. You finish beneath a pergola with local food, wine, accordion music, and a bottle you help prepare yourself.

I especially like two details: you can taste wine straight from the fermentation tanks and fill, cork, and label your own bottle, and the food spread has real Dalmatian character, from Pag cheese and wood-fired peka bread to sea-salted fish and homemade olives. The main consideration is price: at $173 per person, this is not a quick tasting, but a three-and-a-half-hour farm visit with transport options, food, drinks, entertainment, and personal hosting.

Key points at a glance

• Fill your own bottle: Take part in filling, corking, and labeling a bottle of award-winning wine from the fermentation tanks.
• Walk through a working organic farm: See vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, wild herbs, and the seasonal work behind the finished products.
• Taste a full Dalmatian spread: Expect prosciutto, Pag cheese, peka bread, fish, olives, peppers, tomatoes, figs, almonds, and two styles of olive oil.
• Small-group setting: The group is limited to six people, which suits travelers who prefer a personal visit rather than a large bus tour.
• A local performance with your meal: Kathrin sings traditional Dalmatian songs and plays the accordion while dressed in regional folklore clothing.
• Easy access from Trogir and Split Airport: Pickup is available, or you can drive directly to the estate in Kaštel Novi.

A family farm visit near Kaštela

Family Farm Strizic sits in Kaštel Novi, in the Bijaći area between Trogir, Split Airport, and Split. This gives the tour a useful place in your itinerary. You can fit it into a day around Trogir, arrange pickup from the airport, or drive to the estate yourself.

Bijaći is presented as an important center of early Croatian history, dating to the seventh century. That historical note adds context to the farm walk. You are not just looking at rows of vines without a story. You are learning about an old agricultural area that has long connected people, food, and the land around Kaštela Bay.

The estate offers views toward Kaštela Bay and Split. The setting is peaceful, with the orchard and vineyards providing the backdrop rather than a formal tasting room. That matters if you want a break from city sightseeing and a slower look at how food is produced.

The tour lasts 210 minutes, or three hours and 30 minutes. It is limited to six participants and is available in English, German, French, and Croatian. That small size should make it easier to ask questions and follow the explanations, though the experience is designed for adults only.

Walking among olives, almonds, and wild herbs

The visit begins with an agricultural walk through the farm’s olive orchard, almond orchard, and vineyard. The exact sights change with the season. In spring, you might see trees in bloom. Later in the year, you may find fruit ripening and the vineyards moving toward harvest.

You also get a chance to notice the plants growing around the cultivated areas. Depending on the season, Kathrin points out thyme, rosemary, oregano, dill, bay leaves, St. John’s Wort, wild asparagus, and wildflowers. This is one of the more appealing parts for anyone who wants to understand Dalmatian food beyond a restaurant menu.

The walk explains the yearly work, from early spring through late fall. You learn how the olive and almond trees are tended, how the vines are managed, and how natural growth eventually becomes wine, oil, dried fruit, or a table ingredient.

I like this part because it puts the tasting in its proper place. Wine does not begin in a glass, and olive oil does not simply appear in a bottle. The tour connects blooming, growing, harvesting, processing, and serving. You should wear comfortable shoes, since the experience includes walking through the farm rather than staying at a table the whole time.

The orchard walk may be less appealing if you want a polished, highly technical wine seminar. This is a hands-on family farm visit, with practical explanations and seasonal details. The focus is on the entire food cycle, not on formal wine vocabulary or a long list of vintages.

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

The wine cellar gives you a closer look at production. Kathrin explains how grapes become wine and how schnapps and liqueurs are distilled. You also taste a selection of homemade schnapps and liquors in the cellar.

The most unusual activity comes next. You have the opportunity to draw wine from the fermentation tanks, fill a bottle, cork it, and add a label. This gives the tasting a physical element that many vineyard visits skip. You are not only sampling the finished product. You are taking part in one small stage of its preparation.

The bottle comes from the farm’s award-winning wine. The information provided does not specify the exact vintage or whether each person receives a particular red or white variety, so check the current details when booking if that choice matters to you.

The cellar portion should appeal to anyone curious about traditional production. It also gives you a souvenir with a stronger connection to the place than a bottle bought from a shop. You know where it came from, and you helped prepare it.

The homemade schnapps and liqueurs are another reason to pace yourself. Wine follows later with food, and the visit is long enough that you should treat each sample as part of a tasting rather than as a series of full drinks.

A Dalmatian lunch beneath the pergola

After the farm and cellar, you sit outside under a pergola beside the olive and almond orchards. The meal is served as a selection of small portions, allowing you to try several local flavors rather than filling up on one dish.

The listed spread includes:

• Locally dried prosciutto
• Aged cheese from the island of Pag
• Peka bread baked under a wood fire
• Locally sea-salted fish fillets
• Traditionally prepared black olives
• Small bell peppers filled with cheese
• Cherry tomatoes
• Organic dried figs
• Hand-picked almonds coated with sugar

The food tells you quite a bit about Dalmatian cooking. Pag cheese brings a strong island flavor, while the prosciutto and fish add salt and smoke. Peka bread gives the meal a rustic, wood-fired element. The figs and sugar-coated almonds finish things on a sweeter note.

The meal also includes the farm’s extra virgin olive oil and wild-herb infused olive oil. Taste them with the bread and compare the plain oil with the herb version. This is where the earlier orchard walk becomes useful. You have seen the plants and heard how the oil is made, so the tasting has a clear connection to the farm.

White and red wines are paired with the food. The pairing is informal and personal rather than a formal restaurant service. That suits the setting. You are seated outdoors, surrounded by the farm, with Kathrin explaining the products and serving the meal as part of the visit.

The menu is generous in variety, but it may not suit every diet. Fish, dairy, meat, bread, nuts, and sugar-coated almonds are all included. The supplied information does not confirm vegetarian, vegan, allergy, or gluten-free substitutions, so contact the provider before booking if you have dietary needs.

Traditional songs and a personal welcome

During the meal, Kathrin plays the accordion and sings traditional Dalmatian songs while wearing local folklore dress. This is a clear performance element, but it is woven into the meal rather than presented as a separate stage show.

That distinction matters. The music is part of the family-farm welcome, alongside the food and wine. It gives you a taste of regional culture in a setting tied to local agriculture. If you enjoy informal music and storytelling, it adds warmth to the afternoon.

The personal hosting is one of the strongest reasons to choose this tour. Kathrin’s enthusiasm for the farm is central to the experience. The available feedback repeatedly highlights her passion, informative explanations, entertaining style, and generous hospitality. One German-speaking couple described her as a perfect host, while an American couple praised the food, presentation, and feeling of being treated like family.

Those comments point to the tour’s character: personal rather than anonymous. You should expect Kathrin to be closely involved in the walk, cellar visit, food service, and music. That can be a major plus, though travelers who prefer to explore independently or avoid hosted entertainment may find the format too social.

What the $173 price includes

At $173 per person, the tour costs more than a simple glass-and-cheese tasting. The price makes more sense when you count the full package:

• Pickup options from Trogir or Split Airport
• A three-and-a-half-hour hosted visit
• The orchard and vineyard walk
• Explanations of wine and olive oil production
• The cellar visit
• Homemade schnapps and liqueur tasting
• Your own bottle-filling activity
• A substantial selection of Dalmatian food
• White and red wine
• Extra virgin and wild-herb olive oil
• Live accordion music
• The small-group format, limited to six people

From Trogir, the drive to the estate takes about 10 minutes. Pickup is at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach, in the T4 parking lot. It is about a five-minute walk along the seaside from Trogir Bus Terminal.

At Split Airport, pickup is at the bus station on the main road. The directions are quite specific: you wait at the bus station while facing the airport, with the sea behind you and to your right, near the glass-covered walkway linking the parking and rental-car area with the terminal.

You can also meet directly at Put Bijaća 38 in Kaštel Novi. The driving directions include several turns from the airport exit, so save them before leaving and allow time to find the estate. Organic farm products are available for purchase on site, but those purchases are not included in the tour price.

The value is strongest for couples or small groups who want a complete local-food experience and would otherwise book separate transport, tastings, and a meal. It is weaker for someone who only wants to sample a few wines cheaply. This is an afternoon of hosting, food, farm education, and entertainment.

Who will enjoy this most

I would choose this tour if you want to meet a producer and see the place behind the food. It suits adults interested in wine, olive oil, local cooking, agriculture, and Croatian traditions.

It is also a good fit if you are staying in Trogir or near Split Airport. The short transfer from Trogir keeps the logistics simple, and airport pickup could work well at the beginning or end of a Dalmatian trip, provided the timing fits your flight plans.

The small group limit of six is important. You are likely to have more room for questions and conversation than on a large vineyard excursion. The experience may feel especially comfortable for couples, friends, and solo travelers who like a hosted setting.

It is not suitable for children under 18. It is also listed as unsuitable for people over 95. Comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are required, since the farm portion takes place outdoors.

Practical advice before you go

Plan on the full three hours and 30 minutes. The tour includes walking, cellar time, tasting, food, and music, so it is not something to squeeze into a narrow gap between two fixed activities.

Wear shoes that can handle an orchard path and dress for the weather. The meal is outside under a pergola, and the farm walk is exposed to seasonal conditions.

If you are driving, use the estate address and detailed directions rather than relying only on a general map pin. The final approach includes turns onto Put Vlaka and Put Bijaća, including an uphill section.

You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option allows you to hold a place without paying at the time of booking. Starting times vary, so check availability before building the rest of your day around it.

Should you book the Family Farm Strizic tour?

Book it if you want a warm, personal introduction to Dalmatian food and drink, not just a standard wine tasting. The combination of orchard walk, cellar visit, bottle-making activity, local dishes, and accordion music gives the experience a clear sense of place.

The strongest reasons to go are Kathrin’s hands-on hosting, the chance to prepare your own bottle, and the broad food tasting under the pergola. The main reason to hesitate is the price, especially if you are not interested in the food, music, or farm setting.

For an adult who wants a relaxed half-day near Trogir or Split, I think the package offers solid value. You leave with a better idea of how Dalmatian wine and olive oil are made, a full meal, and a bottle linked to the farm itself. Just bring comfortable shoes, arrive ready for a social afternoon, and confirm any dietary needs before booking.

FAQ

Where is the wine and olive tasting tour located?

The experience takes place at Family Farm Strizic, Put Bijaća 38, 21217 Kaštel Novi, Croatia.

How long does the tour last?

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

Is pickup available from Trogir?

Yes. Pickup is at Bistro Baketina on Trogir City Beach in the T4 parking lot. The location is about a five-minute walk along the seaside from Trogir Bus Terminal, and the drive to the estate takes about 10 minutes.

Can I be picked up at Split Airport?

Yes. Pickup is at the airport bus station on the main road in the direction of Split.

Can I drive directly to the farm?

Yes. You can meet the host directly at the estate in Kaštel Novi. The address is Put Bijaća 38.

What languages are available?

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

How many people are in the group?

The group is limited to six participants.

What food is included?

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

Is wine included?

Yes. The experience includes both white and red wine, along with homemade schnapps and liqueur tastings in the cellar.

Can I buy farm products?

Yes. The farm’s organic products can be purchased on site. These purchases are not included in the tour price.