Wine tasting at Rizman Estate, Peljesac Peninsula and Makarska Riviera

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Posip, Dingerac and Plavac are three examples of regional wines produced in Komarna and the Peljesac Peninsula at the most southern region of Croatia, Dalmatia. Komarna, squeezed between the Makarska Riviera and the Peljesac Peninsula, is a young yet promising winegrowing area. About 15 years ago, the Štimac family decided to establish their new location with 22 acres of vineyards and 1700 olive trees in this beautiful coastal area – Rizman Estate was born. 

Rizman Estate

The Štimac family has quite a history in wine production, dating back to the early 20st century. Rizman is actually the nickname of the great grandfather who was the first winemaker in the family. Under circumstances of about 2600 hours of sunshine per year, limestone soil and an altitude of 50- 250m, Rizman annually produces between 18 and 27 hl/Ha wine per year.

The organically grown grapes are harvested by hand, both red and white. There are about nine different grape varieties, mostly Plavac (red) and Posip (white), plus some international varieties, like Chardonnay, Viognier, Tempranillo and Syrah. In addition, Rizman also produces their own olive oil.

My favorite wine at Rizman Estate is definitely the Rizman Nonno, an oaked Posip!

Visiting Rizman Estate

Rizman Estate has two locations close to each other where you can taste wine, or expand to wine tasting & brunch or wine tasting & dine for example. You can always get some delicious snack plates with the wines if you wish. We found this place a true hidden gem with its delicious wines, snack plates, friendly staff and this fantastic Adriatic Sea view! The Dalmatian coast is beautiful.

The opening hours are:

• Rizman Winery taste room: May-Sep 10:00-20:00h, Oct-Apr 10:00-16:00h
• Rizman Rest Stop: Apr-Nov Mon-Wed Fri-Sat 08:00-20:00h and Thu & Sun 08:00-16:00h

Location: Rizman Estate is just a few minutes off the beautiful D8 coastal road between Dubrovnik in the south (65 km) and Split in the north (155 km via A1). The perfect spot for wine tasting in the Komarna area!

Contact details Rizman Estate

• Vinarija Rizman
• Address: Stolovi 2, Klek 20356, Croatia (Neretva County)
• E-mail: prodaja@rizman.com.hr
• Tel. +385 20 611135

Prices

Wondering what the wine costs at Rizman Estate?

• Tasting of 3 wines with crackers 120 KN
• Tasting of 3 wines with olive oil, prosciutto, cheese and anchovies 180 KN
• Wines by the glass 1 dcl 20-35 KN
• Fruit juice 20 KN
• Coffee 9 KN

In each tasting you will get a white, rose and red wine. And obviously you can also buy bottles on the spot to take home (or your next holiday destination).

• Wine bottle 70-145 KN
• Archives wine bottle 300-1000 KN
• Olive oil bottle 80-130 KN

Živjeli! Cheers in Croatian that is.

Other regional wineries

Quite close to Rizman Estate in Klek you can now also find Vina Terra Madre, an upcoming talented winery that was established in 2008. The tasting room was opened in 2018.

On the nearby Peljesac Peninsula I can recommend visiting the following two wineries:

• Dingač Skaramuče in Pijavičino
• Grgic Winery in Trstenik

The Grgic Winery was set up by Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgic who returned back to his motherland in the 90s, after he had become a successful winegrower in Napa Valley, California, USA. The Dingac Skaramuce winery won several awards, definitely worth checking out as well.

If you are staying in Dubrovnik, you can also take a day tour to the Peljesac Peninsula including wine tastings. Check GetYourGuide and Viatorfor various options.

We also visited a winery near Ston called the Mili Winery of the Rozic Family but it is small and basic, more like a barn were you can buy some bottles of wine. Nothing fancy like a terrace or anything. And those wines turned out not to be the greatest to be very honest.

How to get to Rizman Estate and around

Dubrovnik is the closest international airport (100km), followed by Split.

The easiest would be to rent a car and drive from the airport to Klek. Taxi might be a possibility too, but pricey and you will be limited to get around from there. The bus would be the cheapest but also the least convenient. From Dubrovnik you will have to take the bus first to Metkovic, and then another bus to Klek Bubanj. From there it is about 2 hours (8.5km) walk up the hill to Rizman Estate. For long distance bus rides to/in Croatia check the website of FLIXBUS.

A rental car and being able to drive around yourself gives a lot of freedom and flexibility. You will be able to see more in a shorter period of time compared to public transport, and the airconditioning is a bit plus too! Just make sure it is insured all-risk and that you bring your EU or international driver’s license.

Personally, when it concerns renting a car, I would recommend Sunny Cars, an all-inclusive, worry free rental concept with affordable, fair prices, great service and no unpleasant surprises upon pick up or drop off. I am a big fan and use them all the time! In most countries the 2nd driver, free cancellation up to 4 hours in advance and all-risk insurance are standard included. Ideal, I use them all the time!

How much time you will need

You can spend half a day up to a few weeks in this area and still not get bored!

The fastest way to go from Split to Dubrovnik (or the other way around) takes about 3 hours by car. This route skips the beautiful Makarska Riviera as it goes partly via the E65 highway, but you will pass Klek and Rizman Estate. If you wish to drive the full D8 coastal way including the Makarska Riviera, it takes about 4 hours (220 km) excluding stops. For a visit to Rizman Estate I would suggest 1 to 2 hours.

Ston is just 7 min drive off the D8, take the 414 road. A roundtrip on Peljesac Peninsula from Ston along Drace Bay, Grg Winery, Dingač Skaramuča Winery, Family Farm Antunović, Divna Beach and back to the D8 takes about 2.5 hours to drive. That’s excluding photo stops, wine tasting, lunch, etc.

From Makarska village you can take the bus to Split, which ride takes about 75 min single ride. A taxi ride from Split airport to Makarska costs around EUR 90.

Where to stay

Don’t drink and drive! So either you will have to make the tough decision who of you will drive further/back, or spend the night nearby. Rizman Estate is the perfect pit-stop between Dubrovnik and Split, Trogir, Krka NP, Plitvice NP or Zadar for example.

Right between the exit off the D8 and Rizman Estate there is Villa Stolovi, which is a perfect accommodation for families. It has a great pool and beaches like Komarna, Duboka and Popova Luka are all within 2 km distance. Klek the village center down at the beach offers mostly holiday homes and apartments, such as Villa Mara. For accommodation tips in Split, Dubrovnik, etc. check out the specific articles about those places in the Croatia Blog Archives.

What else to do in/near/from Klek

Done with sunbathing, wine tasting and staying longer in the area? Besides the beach you can go hiking, kayaking, rafting, fishing, diving, snorkeling, zip-lining, jet-skiing, etc. If you came from Split you may have already visited the Makarska Riviera, but if not, I’d definitely recommend doing so. See below separate paragraph for more details.

You may also want to visit one of the nearby islands. There are various options:

• drive north to Drvenik and take the ferry to Hvar, or
• visit the Peljesac Peninsula and take the ferry from Prapratno or Trstenik to Mljet, or from Orebic to Korcula
• drive north to Makarska and take the ferry to Brac

Could write a whole separate article about all these different island but I will keep it short for now. Hvar is the most popular and seen as the Ibiza of Croatia. Dolphins swim around the island and Hvar includes a pretty UNESCO registered Stari Grad (Croatian for old town). Mljet is a much smaller and lest touristy island. It includes Oddyseus Cave and Mljet National Park for example, which are wonderful.

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Ston

I’d suggest to visit Ston (35 km), a small, peaceful town on the southeast side of the Peljesac Peninsula with oyster farms, salt pans and a defense wall (5.5 km). The wall is a tough climb in the summer heat so go early! You can walk on top of the wall at Ston (Veliki Ston). The first part takes about 20 min. There is another part of the wall that goes from Veliki Ston to Mali Ston, which takes app. 40 min. You will have a great view!

The wall opens at 08:00h and closes at 18:30h in Apr-May and Aug-Sep, at 19.30h in Jun-Jul, at 17:30h in Oct and at 15:00h in Nov-Mar. It’s easy to get your Ston wall entrance tickets online in advance. Park outside the town walls (charges apply). The nearby Mali Ston shows a lot of comparison, only the restaurants there are located on the water, which is nice.

Makarska Riviera

The Makarska Riviera is part of Central Dalmatia. It is the beautiful coast line between Brela and Gradac that is about 60 km long and starts at about 60 km south of Split. Some suggest the Makarska Riviera goes all the way from Omis to the Neretva Delta (90 km), others suggest Brela to Podgora (30km), but so the truth lies in between.

Even when just driving past on your way between Split and Dubrovnik for example, or the other way around, take the D8. Add the Makarska Riviera to your trip because it is the best coastal route of Dalmatia!

Omis is a nice place to visit by the way. Take a walk in the old town center and grab a Burek at a local bakery! In the evening drink something at Eol rooftop bar and enjoy the Cetina River view. Also a good place to start outdoor activities like mountain climbing (via ferrata), mountain biking, zip lining, rafting, etc. The river water is so clear you can just jump in and snorkel here. Or rent a boat perhaps? The possibilities are endless. See map below for locations.

The Makarska Riviera includes at least 17 different villages and towns like Makarska, Baska Voda, Brela, Tucepi and Podgora. Thanks to the parallel Biokovo Mountain ridge, you may expect sunny and pleasant weather pretty much year round.

White pebble beaches, shallow bays with crystal clear water and pine trees providing natural shade complete the picture. The steep light grey cliffs so close to the shore create a stunning setting. All together this makes the Makarska Riviera a beloved holiday destination for both families and couples. Some of the beaches are naturist beaches (nude) by the way, for example at Brela.

Map Komarna, Peljesac & Makarska Riviera

This map includes places and spots mentioned in this article (and more). This one is ‘smartphone friendly’; you can easily use it via the Google Maps app. Click the icon at the top left to open the menu and see the categories. To adapt the map to your own preferences and interests, (de)select a category. Via Google Drive you can copy the map to your own My Google Maps account.

Do you like wine tasting? Have you ever been to (this part of) Croatia? Or got plans to visit Croatia soon? I hope this article was useful for you and inspired you to visit the Rizman Estate when traveling through Croatia.

Want to read more articles about wine tasting around the world? Then please go to the Wine Blog Archives.

I wrote several articles about Croatia. Check out the Croatia Blog Archives. More to come in the future!

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Last Updated on 04/05/2021 by Elisa Flitter Fever