Wine Tasting in Hvar: Wineries, Tours and Prices (2026)

Why Hvar Tastes Different: An Island Wine District in Brief

Hvar's wine story runs back to Greek colonization, and the Stari Grad Plain still shows the grid the Greeks laid out for vineyards and olives. That plain is UNESCO-listed, and several tour programs route through it on the way to a cellar. What makes the island distinctive today is the mix: revived indigenous whites fermented in clay, old-vine reds, and a handful of small family cellars rather than large château estates.

The practical consequence for a visitor is that Hvar is a cellar-and-village island, not a tasting-room strip. Visits cluster around family wineries inland and in the villages, with tours handling the driving between them. If you want breadth on one trip, plan a base in Hvar Town or Stari Grad and pick two wineries rather than trying to cover the whole island in a day, the same approach that pays off with wine tasting in Santorini.

The Grapes and Appellations to Know Before You Book

Plavac Mali is the red to know: Dalmatia's signature grape, described in Hvar's wine writing as moderating in acidity with rich extract as sugar gathers, and often showing a sweet-seeming impression in the aftertaste that is not residual sugar. It is the wine to ask for when a tasting offers a single red flight.

On the white side, look for Bogdanuša, Maraština and Pošip. Hvar producers work with all three, and at least one cellar ferments them in large buried clay amphorae before ageing in untreated wood, which is why the island's natural-wine scene has drawn attention. Maraština once dominated the island's white plantings and is now rare, so a glass of it is a genuine piece of Hvar history.

These grapes are not tied to a single village, so you rarely need to chase a specific appellation zone on Hvar the way you would in Burgundy. Ask instead which varieties a winery grows itself and whether the flight includes an amphora-fermented white alongside the Plavac Mali. That question tells you more about the cellar than any label does.

Where the Vineyards Sit: Hvar Town, Stari Grad, Selca and the Stari Grad Plain

Think of Hvar in three bands. Hvar Town is the arrival point for most visitors and the base for tours and transfers, but it is not where the vineyards are. Stari Grad sits on the north coast at the edge of the UNESCO plain, making it the natural base for wine country. Selca is the inland village where Lacman Family Winery is located, roughly a twenty-minute scenic drive from Hvar Town through lavender fields according to Hvar Tours.

Grouping stops by band matters because the road between Hvar Town and the far side of the island is slow and winding. A sensible day keeps the driving short: one winery in the Selca area, a walk or drive through the Stari Grad Plain, and a return along the north coast. Trying to add the Pakleni Islands or the southern shore to the same day usually means cutting the tasting short.

Named Winery Visit: Lacman Family Winery in Selca

Lacman Family Winery in Selca is the island cellar with the most clearly published visitor program. It sits on the main road with parking that accommodates large buses, and its terraces look over Stari Grad Bay, the surrounding hills and lavender fields. It specializes in natural wines from indigenous Hvar grapes, which makes it a good first stop for anyone who wants to understand the island's white varieties.

Guided tastings with food start at thirty euros per person for four wines with cold starters such as tacos, a cheese selection and homemade sausages, and rise to forty euros for six wines with the same spread. Longer formats with a proper meal are seventy-five euros for a three-course menu with five wines or one hundred euros for four courses with six wines, with transfer-inclusive versions also offered.

The property also has several separate seating areas: a gazebo lounge for up to twelve people, a terrace lounge for eight, and a self-service deck where you order decanters of wine and drink at your own pace. Those spaces carry their own reservation fees and are booked with a chosen tasting menu. If you are a group of six or more, ask about the gazebo rather than squeezing into the terrace.

Beyond Single Tastings: Lunch, Dinner and Sunset Formats at Lacman

The lunch and dinner options are the reason to plan Lacman as a half-day rather than a quick stop. The three-course menu with five wines or the four-course version with six wines turns the visit into a long table overlooking the bay, with local cuisine served alongside the natural wines. Reserve these formats ahead, since they depend on kitchen capacity rather than just cellar space.

A dedicated sunset tasting is capped at seven guests and priced at seventy-nine euros per person, including a guided tasting of the winery's natural wines with locally sourced snacks. It runs from the first of June, with organized transfers from Hvar Town or Stari Grad included in the price. The small cap makes it the format most likely to sell out on a clear evening, so book it before you fix your ferry.

Sunset Tasting Logistics: Departure Points and Seasonal Start Times

Transfers for the sunset tasting leave from fixed pickup points. In Stari Grad the winery lists the Valamar reception, Plato Bistro Kod Damira and Maslina Resort; in Hvar Town it lists the Bus Station, Amfora and Pharos. The published departure times shift with the season: from 18:30 in Stari Grad between 1 June and 12 August, easing to 16:30 by 1–15 October, with Hvar Town departures running about thirty minutes later in each window.

If you prefer to make your own way there, the self-transfer option is priced at forty euros per person rather than the full transfer-inclusive rate. It suits travelers staying near Selca or holding a car with a non-drinking driver. Either way, confirm your pickup point and time with the winery when you book, because the schedule above is the published one and daylight shifts at the edges of the season.

Budget Option: The Self-Service Deck and Tuesday Blues and Wines

The Deck is Lacman's low-commitment option: a self-service format where you order wine by the decanter from about five euros, with a minimum of two decanters and a maximum of five per booking. It is not a guided tasting and includes no commentary on the wines, but for a group that simply wants to sit above Stari Grad Bay with a tray of natural wine, it is the cheapest way onto the property.

From July the winery also runs Blues and Wines on Tuesday evenings from 20:00 to 22:00, with tickets between ten and twenty-five euros depending on the wine package and two to five decanters included alongside live music. It works well as an alternative to dinner if you are based in Stari Grad and want a short transfer back. Like the sunset tasting, it runs seasonally rather than year-round.

Winery Visits by Tour: Half-Day, Two-Winery and Full-Day Formats

Hvar Tours operates the most clearly itemized wine programs, and each suits a different traveler. The Family Winery Round Trip is a half-day visit to the Lacman cellar in Selca with four wine courses and homemade delicacies. The Twice the Wine half-day tour visits two of four Hvar winemakers in the inland villages and the UNESCO Ager plain with a guide. The Wines of Hvar private full day adds a third winery and a home-cooked three-course lunch or dinner at Lacman.

Hvar Wine Tours, the agency arm, packages similar ground differently, pairing tastings with speedboat transfers, a swim stop and locations such as an underwater wine studio or an amphora cellar. Its half-day options center on Lacman's natural wines or a two-winery loop, while a private full day with lunch extends the format. These are fixed-price packages with transport built in, which is worth weighing against paying per tasting and arranging your own ride.

Going Independently vs Taking a Tour: The Real Trade-offs

Independently, you choose your wineries, linger at the ones you like and avoid paying for a guide you may not need. But Hvar's cellars are spread across villages with limited public transport between them, and a tasting without a transfer means someone has to stay sober on winding roads. Tours cost more up front but bundle transport, a guide and a fixed schedule, which on a short island stay often works out better than improvising.

A middle path is to book a single winery with transfers included and spend the rest of the day on foot in Stari Grad or Hvar Town. That keeps costs predictable and leaves room for a second, smaller tasting if your schedule allows. For travelers comparing the map before committing, our guide to Hvar wineries lays out the villages and cellars so you can build a route that does not cross the island twice.

Getting to the Wine Country Without Driving

The cleanest car-free option is a winery sunset tasting with organized pickup from Hvar Town or Stari Grad, which removes both the drive and the parking question. Booking a half-day tour achieves the same result with more stops. The self-transfer rate of forty euros per person exists for those who arrange their own ride, and taxis can be booked locally.

Cyclists can reach the Selca area from Stari Grad on the inland roads, and at least one operator runs an e-bike wine route for riders who want assistance on the hills. Ferries from Split land at Stari Grad or Hvar Town depending on the service, so pick your port with your winery in mind. Allow a full day between arrival, tasting and the return sailing rather than squeezing wine into a transfer day.

Booking Culture: Appointments, Group Sizes and What to Ask

Hvar's wineries are small and tasting is usually by reservation rather than walk-in, especially for the meal formats and the terrace spaces at Lacman. Email or call with your date, party size and preferred format, and say whether you need a transfer from Hvar Town or Stari Grad. The winery publishes a phone number and an online booking route, which is faster than waiting for a reply through a tour reseller.

Ask three things before you commit: how many wines are poured in your chosen package, whether food is included or extra, and what the cancellation terms are if the ferry schedule shifts. Groups of seven or more should mention the size up front, since several spaces on the property are capped. If you are traveling in high season, book the sunset slot first and build the rest of the day around it.

Lacman vs Other Hvar Winemakers: How to Pick Your Second Stop

Lacman is the easiest first stop because it publishes its formats and prices and sits close to the Stari Grad road network. For a second visit, use the two-winery tours as a shortcut: operators work with a roster of Hvar winemakers, each with a different personality, and can match you to cellars that complement a natural-wine tasting with, say, a more classical Plavac Mali.

Travelers heading to the far end of the island sometimes combine a Hvar stop with a visit to Zlatan Otok, the well-known producer on the south side of the island, before or after their time in Hvar Town. If your trip extends beyond the island, our Croatia wineries coverage helps you match Hvar with the mainland before you book ferries.

How to Build a Wine Day from Hvar Town or Stari Grad

From Stari Grad, start with a morning drive or transfer to Selca for a guided tasting with cold starters, then walk part of the Stari Grad Plain in the afternoon and finish with the sunset tasting or the Tuesday blues evening at the winery. From Hvar Town, take a morning tour to two inland wineries, return for lunch on the waterfront and use the late afternoon for a self-service decanter session if you still want wine.

Either plan works without a car if you book transfers in one direction and a tour in the other. Keep the middle of the day free for the plain and the villages, which are the part of Hvar most visitors skip. A day built this way covers the island's wine story without spending hours in a vehicle.

Timing Your Trip: Season, Harvest and Shoulder-Month Trade-offs

Summer brings the widest choice of formats, including the sunset tasting and the Tuesday blues nights, both of which run seasonally from June and July respectively. Late August and September are the best compromise: warm enough to sit outside, harvest activity in the vineyards, and departure times that move earlier as the evenings shorten. Early summer and the first half of October are quieter but may limit which formats are running.

Harvest on Hvar generally falls in late summer into early autumn, and wineries are busiest then with their own work as well as visitors. The UNESCO plain is most photogenic when the vines are full, but the tasting itself is largely indoors or on a terrace, so weather matters less than daylight. Check which formats operate during your dates before you build a day around a specific one.

Common Mistakes That Spoil a Hvar Wine Day

The most common misstep is booking a tasting for late afternoon and then discovering the last ferry or the return transfer leaves earlier than expected. The second is treating the self-service deck as a guided tasting and arriving expecting an explanation of the wines. The third is trying to pair a wine visit with a Pakleni Islands boat trip on the same day, which usually means rushing both.

A fourth is assuming the winery is in Hvar Town. Lacman is in Selca, about twenty minutes inland by road, so build that transfer into your timing. Finally, remember that group sizes at the terrace and gazebo are capped, so a large party that turns up without a reservation may be turned away even when the cellar is open.

Responsible Drinking on an Island of Winding Roads

Hvar's coastal roads and the climb to Selca are not the place for a driver who has been tasting. Use a spittoon, nominate a designated driver who abstains, or book a tour or transfer so nobody is behind the wheel after wine. The organized transfers included in the sunset tasting and the pickup points in Hvar Town and Stari Grad exist precisely so that guests can drink without driving.

Practical Wrap-Up: A One-Page Plan for Your Wine Day

Pick a base, pick a format and book in that order. Lacman Family Winery in Selca covers the guided tasting, meal and sunset formats with published prices and organized transfers from Hvar Town or Stari Grad. A half-day or full-day tour adds a second winery and the UNESCO plain without asking you to drive.

Confirm your pickup point, the number of wines in your package and the cancellation terms when you reserve, and keep the ferry schedule in view when you choose a sunset slot. Tasting in Hvar is a small-island, appointment-driven experience rather than a walk-in tasting-room crawl, and planning around that is what makes the day work.