Skopje: Tikveš Wine Tour, 2 Wineries, Stobi Ruins & Lunch

Highlights

• Taste Tikveš wines at Chateau Sopot near Veles poured with the vineyards in view
• Walk the Roman theatre and floor mosaics of Stobi with entry included
• Sit down to a long Macedonian lunch with estate wine at Royal Winery Queen Maria
• Visit a winery founded in 1928 for the royal family and named after Queen Marija
• Cross the Tikveš wine region with the tasting, entry and lunch all included

Description

Tikveš is the biggest wine region in North Macedonia, a plain of vineyards between mountains around Kavadarci, Negotino and Demir Kapija, and the drive south from Skopje takes about 90 minutes on the highway. You cross the whole of it in a day, with two wineries and a Roman city in between.

The first stop is Chateau Sopot, near Veles, for a guided tasting with the vines in view. Then history interrupts the wine, in the best way. Stobi is the ancient city at the crossing of the Vardar, and you walk a real Roman theatre and floor mosaics there with almost nobody else around. Entry is included, so take your time.

Then the long stop. Royal Winery Queen Maria at Demir Kapija was founded in 1928 for the royal family and named after Queen Marija, and it still makes wine under the gorge. Lunch here is included, traditional Macedonian cooking paired with the estate's own wines, long enough that nobody checks a watch.

Nothing poured on this day costs extra. The tasting is included, the wine at lunch is included, and there is no cellar door bill waiting at either estate. If a bottle finds you along the way, both wineries sell their own, and whatever you buy travels back to Skopje in the van rather than around the ruins in the sun.

We roll home in the early evening on the same road, past the vineyards, with the gorge behind us.

Groups start with 2 people.

Includes

• Guided wine tasting at Chateau Sopot
• Entry to the Stobi archaeological site
• Lunch with wine at Royal Winery Queen Maria
• Transport from Skopje and back
• Local guide

Excludes

• Wine purchases and extra bottles
• Food and drinks beyond the included tasting and lunch
• Gratuities
• Personal expenses

Important Information

• The day includes a guided tasting at Chateau Sopot and a full lunch with the estate's own wines at Royal Winery Queen Maria. Both are in the price and nothing poured on the tour carries a charge. Both estates sell their own wine at the cellar door. Anything you buy is paid to the winery at the winery's own price and is not part of the tour price. Whatever you buy travels back to Skopje with us in the van, so you are not carrying bottles around the ruins. This is a wine day. Pace yourself, the lunch pours are real, and plan your evening accordingly. Guests must be 18 or over. The ground at Stobi is uneven ancient surface with little shade. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a hat in summer. The route runs Chateau Sopot, then Stobi, then Royal Winery Queen Maria, and the lunch is the long stop. Group size starts with 2 people. The tour returns to the same meeting point it starts from.

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund