The Infinite Staircase
Reaching the top and celebrating in style
Since our Portuguese adventure began, there are certain phrases I never thought I’d say out loud.
For example: “Once we discovered pillow tanks we knew we had the answer to rainwater capture.”
Then there things I never knew I’d even know, let alone say out loud:
“The LPWAN system is like WiFi over kilometres and it helps us blend our mineral salted water with rain to make drinking water...oh, and stops the pool overflowing.”
I mean, really.
And then there are those truly out-there unexpected sentences: “So we’re having an event in two weeks’ time celebrating Alicante Bouschet – a French grape the Portuguese made their own.”
I like wine, I like history, I love telling stories...and it turns out there’s a wine grape which does all three across Portugal, France and America and thoroughly excites normal people like us (or is that pushing it too far?).
More about the event on Saturday March 1st coming up.
But there was one message we received last week which we really never thought would come.
It was one of those distant hopes lying at the top of the Penrose Stairs – that infinite staircase you climb forever but never reach the top.
One of those things that for every one step forward, you take two steps back...and it’s only when you give up and turn around that you actually get there.
Or it’s like penguins toppling over watching a plane fly overhead: an amazing idea which could be true, but is actually just a myth.
You get the general idea. Anyway, the message said:
“You have your licence.”
Drumroll please.
Now, before you get overexcited and start inundating us with messages of congratulations, it’s only the licence to use the buildings...there’s still an inspection from the tourism authorities to come before we get our final stamp to fully open for business.
But...actually...do please inundate us with messages.
Because we’re delighted, astonished, amazed, blown away and all sorts of other predictable synonyms one can use, given the circumstances.
The message just popped into our inbox one afternoon, but to begin with the letter kept us guessing.
Written in the fabulously complex high Portuguese and in the best traditions of formal legalese we read it, looked at each other quizzically, ran it through DeepL and were even more confused than before.
“I hereby inform Your Excellency,” it began, “that following the approval of the aforementioned request, the application timely submitted to that effect and the payment of the respective fees, the ‘Response to the communication, for use after urban operation subject to prior control no. 9/2025,’ which is attached hereto, was issued.”
“Is that good?” we asked each other.
“Is that good?” we asked our architect.
“It’s good,” our architect replied.
So now we have a long list of things we need to make sure are in place before the tourism inspection.
It includes mirrors, soap, electricity, a big rule book, drinking water, a pile of local tourist guides, a complaints book and a waste water treatment plant.
There are a few other rules for “Agro-tourism” establishments, but we’re classified as Casa do Campo...or country house.
(Just as an aside, I love the concept of “agro-tourism” – presumably when you arrive you are greeted by a furious host hurling a string of verbal abuse and screaming at you?)
Anyway, there’s plenty of work to be done.
The website building is progressing, but we’re waiting for the sunniest of days to take the best photos.
And we keep being distracted by fabulous visitors.
Top Portuguese winemaker Hamilton Reis came to visit and Ana cooked up a feast for his wife Susana’s birthday dinner.
“Is it OK if I bring my own wine?” he asked. “Oh, go on then,” we replied.
Hamilton is winemaker at the legendary Mouchão winery and produces his own Natus Vini wine...which is usually served in the best Michelin starred restaurants.
Some old university friends were in town and were treated to some of the best Alentejo wines going.
Among them was Nick Spotswood who has the Spotswood wine estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa and loved his first steps into Alentejo vinhos, even if his dinner table deep discussion with Hamilton over the brix system for measuring sugar content in grapes wasn’t for everyone.
But all were blown away by what we’ve achieved – at least that’s what they told us – by the local fish and porco preto black pork, by Oda’s amazing LA-style cocktails, and by the beaches (yes, we managed a February ocean dip).
Shameless Plug
To celebrate our successful licence approval...and the launch of our next podcast episode about one of the oldest, most historic, and most amazing wineries in Alentejo, we are holding a special wine event on Saturday March 1st.
Space is limited, but we have two amazing winemakers talking about Alicante Bouschet – a French grape which (as I found myself mentioning at the beginning) Portugal has made its own.
Developed in the mid-1800s to give poor French wine a deeper red colour, it was brought to Portugal in the hope it might resist a bug destroying Europe’s vineyards (it didn’t), but it then thrived in the heat of Alentejo.
Hot on Hamilton’s heals we have Mouchão’s custodian Iain Reynolds Richardson telling the many amazing stories of his family’s 250 years of Portuguese history, how they introduced Alicante Bouschet to Portugal and how he now champions simplicity and tradition in his winemaking.
And French winemaker Baptiste Carrière Pradal (Domaine de la Massole) is bringing his single varietal Alicante Bouschet from the region in the south of France where Henri Bouschet created the amazing red grape with red juice in the first place.
If you’d like to support us and help us celebrate do come along.
Contact us directly for more information, but we’re offering a three course dinner, a guided wine tasting by the two aforementioned marvels and a stay in our lovely eco-luxe lodge for one or two nights at a really good price.
So, if you’ve been thinking about coming to see us, now’s the time! Ping us a message.
Congratulations!
Huge congratulations, guys! What an achievement! Your place looks lush! xx