Most important features
- 8 DAYS – 7 NIGHTS
- Visited countries: Montenegro, Albania
Short introduction
During this wine tour to Montenegro with a day of wine tasting in Albania, you will visit small wineries producing quality wines. Vineyards and wineries on the Adriatic coast are rare and generally located in lush Mediterranean vegetation or a wooded area, at the entrance of Kotor Bay, the southernmost fjord in Europe. This wine tour will also give you the opportunity to visit two wineries in Albania and taste their wine made from indigenous grape varieties. Albania is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in Europe. Wine has been produced there since the 8th century BC.
Where the first part of this wine tour is more oriented towards the discovery of wine in Montenegro and Albania, you will have the opportunity at the end of your stay to spend two days in the mountains of northern Montenegro. Here you can, if you wish, go rafting, ziplining in the deepest gorges of Europe, hiking in Durmitor National Park, canyoning in the last conquered gorges in Europe or mountain biking through the beautiful nature of the mountain region of Montenegro!
Highlights
- 8 wineries and wine tastings
- Welcome drink in a rooftop bar
- Awe-inspiring landscapes of Lake Skadar
- Visit one of the largest and most beautiful vineyards in Europe
- The exceptional beauty of the Bay of Kotor
- Discover old methods of wine production
- Traditional family wine cellars and Montenegrin hospitality
- Remarkable stories of family history intertwined with wine production
- Beautiful scenery and the interesting traditions of wine in Albania
- Breath-taking viewpoints
- Amazing history and cultural and historical monuments
Program
DAY 1 – FLIGHT TO DUBROVNIK, CROATIA OR PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO (D)
Today you take your flight to Dubrovnik / Podgorica. Upon arrival, you will be transferred by minibus to your hotel in Budva. After arrival, you are expected in one of the nicest rooftop bars in the city for a glass of wine as a welcome drink. With many beautiful beaches, a lively nightlife, long promenades close to the sea and 2500 years of history, Budva is an absolute must.
The rest of the day is at leisure. You can relax in the hotel’s spa or swim and relax by the rooftop pool. The beach is a 3-minute walk from the hotel, so you can also feel the charm of the Adriatic sea. If you are interested, a guided walk in the centre of Budva (optional) or you can explore the city yourself.
Free time, dinner and overnight.
DAY 2 – Discover the area around Lake Skadar (B, L, D)
After breakfast, your journey takes you to “The Plantaže Wine Treasure” to learn about the wine traditions and the secrets of the success of this wonderful wine concept. Here you can taste the best premium wines combined with traditional dishes.
Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkans and one of the largest bird sanctuaries in Europe. After the wine tasting you take a boat trip on the Skadar Lake. If you are lucky you will see amazing Dalmatian pelicans and many other birds. The beautiful surroundings will impress you.
On the way back to Budva you will have a short photo stop at the viewpoint “Pavlova strana” and visit an interesting winery. In addition to traditional production and storage technology in barrels, stainless steel tanks, oenologists also use other techniques. The method of making wine in kveries has been known since the time of the state of Urartu, about the eighth century BC. Since 2011, this method has been included in the list of intangible cultural UNESCO heritage. Wine tasting is included of course.
Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight.
DAY 3 – BAY OF KOTOR – KOTOR – PERAST – HERCEG NOVI (B, L, D)
Today you will go to the Bay of Kotor. After breakfast, enjoy the drive to the eponymous town that has kept the secrets of many civilizations for over 2000 years! In this city, every wall has its own story. During a walk you will see many lavish noble palaces, visit the impressive Saint Tryphon Cathedral, visit the Maritime Museum and learn more about the 1000-year maritime tradition.
The journey continues on the scenic road along the Adriatic Sea towards a small, pleasant baroque town – Perast for a walk. Off the coast of this city are two picturesque islands where you can walk on your own. One of these islets, Our Lady of the Rocks, is an artificial boat-shaped island with a church and museum open to visitors.
The next stop will be Herceg Novi for a visit to a special winery. It is located at the entrance to the impressive Bay of Kotor, on the estate of the famous Savina Monastery from the 11th century. At this winery you will learn about the techniques of winemaking in the lush Mediterranean vegetation and wooded area. The members of the family who own this winery will explain the benefits of coastal wine growing and how they manage to make light, fresh, wines. You will also learn about the native white grape variety, the Žižak (zhizhak), while tasting the wines from their cellars!
Dinner at the hotel, free time and overnight.
DAY 4 – CETINJE – LOVĆEN – RVASI – RIJEKA CRNOJEVICA – SVETI STEFAN (B, L, D)
On this day you will visit the city of Cetinje, “the city museum” popularly. This city was the royal capital of Montenegro for 5 centuries. Thanks to this history, visitors can visit the residences of Montenegrin rulers and see many international embassies.
The next stop is Lovćen Mountain, also one of the five national parks in Montenegro. At one of the highest points of the national park is the Mausoleum of Petar Petrovic Njegos, a famous Montenegrin bishop ruler and philosopher. From here you have a beautiful view of endless mountain ranges, the Bay of Kotor and the Skadar Lake. The beautiful view will leave you breathless as will climbing the 461 steps to the top which are more than worth it.
After admiring this beautiful view, you will visit two small-scale family wineries near the Skadar Lake. The first winery is located in the village of Rvasi, a place with a very favorable Mediterranean climate and many sunny days a year which is perfect for making top quality craft wines and cognac. This first winery has traditionally grown grapes and has been producing quality wine, brandy and liqueurs for generations. The late President of Yugoslavia – Josip Broz Tito – has always been impressed with Mrkan wine. The host and his family will tell you about their techniques and are happy to share their decades of experience. They will also receive you with different types of wine, combined with traditional dishes.
On the way to another interesting winery, you will have a short break at the viewpoint “Pavlova strana” and visit the village of Rijeka Crnojevica. After this you will visit the second winery with a history of winemakers that goes back ten generations. Here you will experience and taste their red wines made using modern French technology. The symbolic names of their wines evoke interesting stories. In addition to the wines, this winery, like many other families in this region, produces eau de vie. Wine tasting is a must.
At the end of the day, drive back to the hotel via a famous road called the “Petrovacke strane” to enjoy the scenery of the coastal villages and the Adriatic coast. On the way there is a photo stop at the charming island of Sveti Stefan.
Dinner and overnight.
DAY 5 – ALBANIA (B, L, D)
Today you will visit another beautiful wine country, namely Albania with a very long wine history that goes back thousands of years. In that period many native grape varieties grew in this area. Albania is therefore one of the oldest wine countries in Europe.
Today you will start with a visit to a winery located in the heart of the forest, on the hills of Ishmi. This winery will impress you with its beautiful landscape and three extraordinary types of wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo. You will enjoy the view of the nearby lake and the walk through the vineyards!
After this you will visit a second winery located between the capital Tirana and the old city of Durres. This winery is famous for growing the native grape varietu Shesh, one of the best in Albania. They produce white and red wines and have three types of premium wine: “Shen Mhill”, “Shesh i Zi” and “Shesh i Bardhe”. The visit includes wine tasting with traditional dishes. On this estate you can also make donkey rides along the vineyards.
At the end of the afternoon, drive back to the hotel along the scenic road with a view of the Adriatic Sea.
Dinner at the hotel. Free time and overnight.
DAY 6 – PLAD GAP (B, L, D)
After breakfast you travel to the north of Montenegro. After a 1.5 hour drive you arrive at the first winery of the day. The friendly owner will be happy to take you for a walk through the vineyards and underground wine cellar, explaining the impact of the rocky terrain on grape growing. This relatively young but fast-growing winery tells you more about their way of producing wine – a combination of tradition and new technologies and methods. The interesting fact is that they produce a biodynamic wine, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They also use a special method of aging wine – placing the wine bottles in the Skadar Lake, 35 meters underwater!
Your day trip continues through the gorge of the Moraca River, also known as the Platije gorge. An impressive road leads you across the Djurdjevica Tara Bridge through a picturesque environment. The Djurdjevica Tara Bridge is an architectural masterpiece over the second deepest canyon in the world! If you like adrenaline you have to be here. It is the center of all adrenaline activities in this part of Montenegro. Optional activities include rafting on the rapid rapids of the River Tara. You can also do paragliding (not included). There is also a short lunch break and you can swim in “the tear of Europe” as Tara is popularly called. If you are not a rafting enthusiast, you can also try the 1040m zip line or visit the town of Pljevlja with a long and rich history (Optional). Transfer to Zabljak.
Dinner. Free time and overnight.
DAY 7 – DURMITOR (B, L, D)
Today you can choose from some optional activities or explore the cities of Zabljak and Durmitor on your own. The area around Mount Durmitor is one of the five national parks in Montenegro, established in 1952 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. With an altitude of 2522 meters, Bobotov Kuk is the highest peak in the Durmitor national park and the second highest mountain in Montenegro. This popular area has 18 glacial lakes, dense coniferous forest, many hiking trails and 40 peaks above 2000 meters. During the winter months, the mountain slopes are perfect for skiing.
DAY 8 – DEPARTURE (B)
After the breakfast, transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule. If you want to extend your wine tour, you may also want to go to one of the neighboring countries, for example Croatia or why not make a whole multi day trip, for instance ten days, through the Balkans ending in Sofia, Bulgaria, or Thessaloniki, in Greece. So, take advantage of this moment to visit little-known wine-producing countries such as Bosnia, Serbia, or even Macedonia. Do not hesitate to ask us for a tailor-made quote without any commitment.
