Wine Tasting in Slovenian Istria: Santo Tomas Winery Tour

Taste wines made here, then see where they come from

Wine tasting at Santo Tomas, a family winery in Slovenian Istria where you sample local and international wines, tour the cellar and oil mill, and view the vineyards from the tower. The experience runs about 90 minutes with a live guide in English, Italian or Croatian, and includes snacks. Minimum age is 18. You choose between 4, 6 or 8 wine samples at checkout.

The experience

Santo Tomas is a sixth-generation family winery on 25 hectares of vineyards and 7 hectares of olive trees in organic conversion. The cellar uses modern techniques (lowered sulphur, vegan and spontaneous fermentations) alongside the local varieties refosco and malvasia, plus international grapes like cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot. You walk through the wine cellar itself, see how the wines are made, and taste the ones the winery produces.

The oil mill sits beside the cellar, and the guide walks you through how the olive oil is made, what makes it special in this region, and how to recognize quality. You also spend time in the Mediterranean garden and climb to the tower for views across Slovenian Istria's vineyards and coast. The whole visit is built around the winery's philosophy of connecting the story from vineyard to bottle: history, ancestors and the land all in one place.

Snacks come with the tasting. You pick your wine sample count (4, 6 or 8) when you book, and a live guide leads the experience in English, Italian or Croatian. The site is fully wheelchair accessible.

What’s included

• Wine tasting with your choice of 4, 6 or 8 samples.
• tour of the wine cellar and oil mill.
• snacks.
• access to the Mediterranean garden and tower views.

Options for this experience

3 options

Wine tasting with 4 samplesGuide in English, Italian or Croatian · No fixed time

Wine tasting with 6 samplesGuide in English, Italian or Croatian · No fixed timeWine degustation

Wine tasting with 8 samplesGuide in English, Italian or Croatian · No fixed timeVisit to a wine cellar with wine tasting

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to Saturday

AgesAdult (18 to 90 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Italian and Croatian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPets welcome

Operated by Santomas

Is this one for you?The 90-minute format fits between other activities in a day exploring Slovenian Istria, and the fixed tasting sizes let you choose how deep you want to go into the wines without committing to a full day. If you want to understand how both wine and olive oil are made in the same place, this winery shows both on one visit.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Italian and Croatian.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How many wine samples do I get to taste?

You choose at checkout: Santo Tomas offers 4, 6 or 8 samples depending on which option you select. The guide pours each one and explains the wine as you taste.

What's the difference between the local and international wines at Santo Tomas?

Santo Tomas works with refosco and malvasia, the traditional varieties of Slovenian Istria, alongside cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot. The winery blends modern fermentation techniques with both, so you taste how the local grapes express the region and how international varieties perform in the same soil.

Do I get to see how the olive oil is made?

Yes. The oil mill is part of the tour, and the guide explains the production process, what makes the olive oil special in Slovenian Istria, and how to judge its quality. The winery produces organic extra virgin olive oil on the same land as the vineyards.

Is there a view from the winery?

The wine cellar has a tower with views across Slovenian Istria's vineyards. You climb up during the tour and have time to take in the landscape before moving on to the Mediterranean garden.