Life here is dominated by the season: In summer, the useful hours come early. In winter, mornings are more relaxed. There is always lots to do: plant care, land care, … Have a look at the land section for more about the projects on the farm.
Life here is not polished or clean: it’s often chaotic, disorganised and anything but the quiet life that most people assume comes with a life in the mountains! For me personally, life also includes the vineyard, wine school, and bar, which are separate projects (but obviously have an influence!).
But overall, life here is about connecting with this beautiful and magical place, reviving the farm, the ecosystem and living “in paradise”.
Food, kitchen, wine
Food matters here. The Quinta is a place where ecology is not an abstract idea. I see animals and other living beings as partners in the wider life of the land, not as ingredients, so food here is always vegetarian, mostly vegan.
Meals usually build on what is available: vegetables and greens from the garden, beans, herbs, fruit, preserved vegetables, something from a neighbour, … Wine is part of the same conversation: wine made with care for the land, spontaneous fermentation, and as little intervention as possible. That matters because natural wine starts in the same place as the food here: soil, plants, farming choices, and respect for living systems.
Food and wine is where people meet properly: Friends, volunteers, neighbours, visitors, wine people, garden people… sooner or later, everyone ends up around the table.
Dogs and cats (and other animals)
The Quinta is home to Lady, Lord, Shebe, and Agro. Lady is calm and steady. Lord is cheeky, and Shebe is gentle, shy, and wants a cuddle. Agro, the cat, is friends with all and is also doing her own thing. They are part of the household.
There are no livestock or farm animals at the Quinta. But the land is full of other lives: Wild boar pass through. Mongooses, foxes, wild cats, and birds share the wider landscape. Frogs and salamanders appear in wetter corners. Spiders, insects, snakes, and countless smaller creatures are part of the ecology of the place.
Living here means paying attention to them too: protecting habitat, avoiding unnecessary harm, and remembering that the Quinta is home to many beings. Importantly: It is part of a larger living system.
Living on the land
Living on the land means paying attention to what is already here. The farm is home, garden, workplace, kitchen, and social place, but it is also habitat: Old trees, terraces, stones, soil, seasonal streams, brambles, grasses, herbs, fungi, birds, insects, frogs, salamanders, spiders, snakes, and wild animals all move through the landscape and all shape daily life at the Quinta.
This is where permaculture becomes practical: compost, water, plants, people, animals, shade, food, and habitat all belong to the same system.
In warm weather, life on the farm is mostly naturist. However, work, safety, and who is here decide where and when. Consent first. Safety first: Boots, gloves, clothes, and common sense!