Wine tour Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina

Welcoming you at the airport of Zagreb and transfer to Zagreb. After the accommodation, we take a relaxing short tour starting from the modern Donji Grad, or Lower Town, whose well-designed street grid was laid out in the 19th century. This area is home to many of city civic and historic monuments. We will continue to Gornji Grad, or Upper Town. In this older part of the city, there are two medieval settlements, Gradec and Kaptol. Among the highlights of Upper Town are the tall twin spires of the Cathedral of St. Stephen, an ancient church dedicated to the Assumption. Organized welcoming dinner and overnight in Zagreb.

After the breakfast, we drive to Moslavina region, southeast from Zagreb, full of picturesque small towns, family farms and amazing wildlife. In the local vineyards, everything revolves around the native white variety called Škrlet, a light and crisp dry wine with floral aromas. There are also the usual continental varieties typical for central Croatia: Graševina, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Furmint, Muscat, Pinot noir, Blaufraenkisch. Today’s tour is for curious wine enthusiasts seeking new experience off the beaten path, but also for those who love countryside peacefulness. Specialties you can taste on this tour include: Moslavina version of orange wines, especially Škrlet, home-made brandies (cherry, honey, peach, strawberry, cornelian cherry), combined with cheese and meat. Back to Zagreb and overnight in a hotel.

From Zagreb we drive to Split, an ancient city, one of the richest archaeological sites in Croatia. In this town we can feel the Roman and early Christian spirit that takes you back to the past as we walk by the old Basilica Urbana, its baptistery, the Forum… One of the three Roman amphitheatres on the east Adriatic coast gives you the chance to experience the emotions of the ancient gladiators that pervaded this magnificent construction. In front of the Tusculum, there is a beautiful garden where you can take a rest and let the peaceful atmosphere relax you. In the afternoon we will be guests of Diocletian’s wine house, famous of its history of 1700 years. It is a combination of different Croatian wines and true Dalmatian cuisine in one. Have a taste of the true Dalmatian hedonism! A professional sommelier will introduce you to the finest wines and will tell you all about this region’s history of wine preparation and grape picking. Free evening and overnight in Split.Overnight.

We start with a morning drive from Split to the Old Town area of Dubrovnik. The coastal town is surrounded by ancient walls. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been remarkably well restored. We explore the town on our own, with a prior explanation of our tour leader. From Dubrovnik, we drive to nearby town of Trebinje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our panoramic city tour will start from the old fortresses and old stone Arslanagić bridge from 16th century, than the old clock tower, the urban core Castle built in 18th century, Osman pasha’s mosque from the 18th century and city walls, reaching the poets’ square lined with 115-years-old plane trees. This evening we are guests of Berak Winery, a family winery. Their tradition of wine production dates back several hundred years. They produce several varieties of wine, including Zilavka, Vranac, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Rose. Their latest innovation is a bio-wine produced with a blend of old vine varieties. In addition to making wine, they also produce domestic brandy and bitters. Overnight in Trebinje.Overnight in Elenovo.

We are heading to Mostar, a town that for 18 months was held under siege in the nineties. Much of Mostar was ruined during this period. But the city still has a very Ottoman feel to it with its winding cobbled stone streets and skyline dotted with domes and minarets. We will see the bazaar, mosque and old city on the way to one of the country’s most famous landmarks, Stari Most (The Old Bridge). This bridge is a reconstruction of the original Ottoman bridge that was built in the mid-1500’s, but was destroyed by shelling in 1993. In the afternoon, we drive on to Sarajevo and make a stop at Hedona Boutique Winery to taste wines from autochthony grapes varieties from region of Bosnia&Herzegovina, like red ones Blatina, Vranac, Trnjak and white ones Zilavka, Bena, Krtosija, carefully paired with innovative renditions of classic Bosnian dishes. Overnight in Sarajevo.

After the breakfast, we start our Sarajevo walking tour. We will see the place of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife at the northern end of Latin Bridge by a 19 year old Bosnian-Serb called Gavrilo Princip, that triggered WWI. We will see the Eternal Flame, which is a memorial to all those that lost their lives during the war. We also see excellent examples of Austro-Hungarian architecture, namely the City Hall and learn more about the dreadful fate of the Jewish community which once thrived in this city, then known as Little Jerusalem. In the rest of the day, we take a relaxing wander through the city’s Old Town or as with everywhere else in the Balkans grab a strong coffee and watch local life go by. In the afternoon we drive back to the Croatian capital Zagreb. Free evening and overnight in Zagreb.

Breakfast and transfer to the airport of Zagreb.