Istria Wine Tours & Tastings
Istria’s wine is two grapes and one sweet exception: Malvazija istarska, the dry, saline white that most of the peninsula grows; Teran, the dark, sharp red of the red-soil hills; and Momjan Muscat, the dessert wine of a single village. This page compares the top-rated Istria wine tours and tastings: cellar visits around Momjan, Buje, Brtonigla and Vižinada, tours from Rovinj, Poreč and Pula, and the wine-and-truffle or wine-and-olive-oil days that Istria does better than anywhere.
What you’ll taste: Malvazija in its fresh and its oak-aged forms, Teran, Momjan Muscat, and often the local brandies, biska with mistletoe and medica with honey.
Where: the hills of north-west Istria between Buje, Momjan and Brtonigla, and the Vižinada and Motovun slopes inland.
Combine: almost every tour adds truffles, olive oil or pršut, because in Istria the same families make them all.
Wine in Istria: Malvazija, Teran and the hills that make them
Istria has made wine since the Romans and sold most of it to Venice; today it makes more Malvazija than anything else, a white that is dry, a little bitter and smells of the sea, and Teran, a red so acidic and dark it was once prescribed as medicine. The vineyards climb the white and red soils of the north-west, between Buje, Momjan, Brtonigla and Novigrad, and the hills inland around Vižinada and Motovun. Almost every producer is a family, the tasting rooms are small, and the wine is cheap for what it is. The wine fair Vinistra, in Poreč each May, is where the year’s vintage is judged.
Malvazija istarska
The signature white: fresh, saline and made for seafood in its young form; fuller and honeyed when aged in acacia or oak, which a growing number of producers do. Ask to taste both; the difference is the point of the visit.
Teran and Momjan Muscat
Teran is the red of the terra rossa, the iron-red soil that runs from Istria into the Slovenian Karst: high acid, dark fruit, the wine for pršut and truffles. Momjan Muscat is the exception, a sweet aromatic white from the village of Momjan that the whole peninsula treats as its dessert wine.
Tours from the coast
Half-day and full-day tours collect from Rovinj, Poreč, Pula and Umag and visit two or three cellars, usually with a food stop: a truffle lunch near Motovun, an olive mill near Buje, a pršut tasting. Expect 60 to 120 euros for a small-group half-day and 100 to 180 for a full day with lunch. Private driver tours run from around 300 euros per group. See also Istria truffle hunting and olive oil tours.
Open cellars and harvest
Istria’s Open Wine Cellars Day at the end of May opens dozens of producers at once; harvest runs through September, when the tours are at their best and the sea is still warm. November brings the new wine and Martinje, St Martin’s Day, on the eleventh.
Across the border
The same soils and grapes continue into Slovenia’s Karst and Vipava Valley, an hour north; see Slovenia wine tours if you are crossing.
Read next: 3 days in Istria: truffles, wine & olive oil · Croatia food & wine road trip: Istria to Dalmatia
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Istria Wine Tours & Tastings
Frequently asked questions
Why an Istria wine tour?
Because the region’s wines are excellent, barely exported, and made by families who will pour them for you in the cellar; a tour is how you find the cellars.
What wine is Istria known for?
Malvazija istarska, a dry white; Teran, a dark, acidic red; and Momjan Muscat, a sweet white from one village.
How much is a wine tour in Istria?
About 60 to 120 euros for a half-day small-group tour, 100 to 180 for a full day with lunch, and from 300 euros per group for a private driver.
Where are the best wineries in Istria?
The north-west hills around Buje, Momjan and Brtonigla, and the inland slopes near Vižinada and Motovun.
When is the Istrian wine harvest?
September, with Malvazija picked first and Teran later; the Vinistra fair in May shows the previous year’s wines.
Can I combine wine with truffles in one day?
Yes; most tours do, because the truffle woods and the vineyards are twenty minutes apart.