Living our dream: making 200 litres of wine in rural Portugal.
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Beijinos e abraços,
Carissa, Iwan, Frankie & Albi
Our Story:
We are Carissa, Iwan & Frankie the sausage dog, and in 2020 decided one night over a bottle of wine that moving from North Wales to Portugal would be a good idea. Within a month we were on the road to Portugal to find the perfect piece of land to call home. We picked up Albi, Joao and Simao the cats along the way, as well as Diogo the podengo and a flock of chickens.
Subscribe to follow our project as we turn an old stone barn into our home, and learn the ropes of looking after a piece of land to make an abundant garden and one day, our very own winery.
I think you and those who live off grid or in the countryside have absolutely made the right decision to live as you do. No you don’t have a lot of money. nor do you have all the luxuries society tells us we need, you don’t have to battle with traffic going to work every day. you don’t have a mobile phone glued to your hands24/7, or all the other things we think we must have. You work hard keeping your minds constantly problem solving on your pitch and your bodies strong. Your love of animals bring you joy. You are well out from under the murky world we are forced to live in today. Your happiness and contentment is out there for all to see and I thank you for the short time we can sit in front of the box and watch people like you smile and love what you are achieving. We can but dream. Thank you for allowing us into your world. I hope my comments will convey how much you are appreciated. 😅
This video has got it all doesn't it? Scenery, cultural wine making, nature, relaxation en happiness. Loved it.
Way to go guys 200 litres is just amazing - wine made by friends with love is always the best. I know it sounds really sad but being surrounded by people that have the patience and joy of growing and making their own products is a joy that never stops bringing us pleasure just like learning from absolutely everyone. You both have such amazing skills to learn from - Iwan your climbing, wine knowledge, dog training and of course strimming are all awesome and Carissa your plant knowledge, artistic skills and editing are just wonderful and we really appreciate having such wonderful, kind and passionate friends. We hope the cocktails didn't interfere too much with your Yoga and thanks so much for your exclusive vintage we will savour it in our favourite part of the year - the second spring!
Ahh thanks so much guys! Great to see you the other day!
That’s a mackerel tabby, adorable, you’re right, the vet care alone has to be considered. Hes so cute.
Do they say if stomping the grapes is good for the skin too.😊 excellent amount harvested. I loved it when you threw the frizby he just looked wondering why you threw it 😅 he is such an adorable dog.
Snap, we got a new fridge this week too. It is just amazing isn't? I get you completely 😂 You appreciate what you have and understand the benefits. Take care 🎉
Adorable kitten, I hope someone comes along and gives him a good home !
Glad you are starting to get the everyday items we take for granted back in to your lives. You both have come a long way and your skills are developing as you grow. God bless you both ❤❤
hahahahaha "I edited down the part about the fridge cause I went on and on" and then you go on and on. I love you C... you cracked me up!!! *you have to keep the cat, he's gorgeous*
😆 clearly I just had a lot to say about the fridge!! He really is gorgeous but the other cats are not happy about him. If we don’t find anyone to take him they’ll just have to get used to each other i guess. I can be 4catsnobrains 😆 🐈 🐈 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 💛
@@FrankieOffGrid LOL you might as well be. I'm 7catsnobrains counting our outdoor cats LOL
lots of wow moments in this one, the skies the wine, the fridge, the Kitten and finally the rain great content. thank you
My grandmother used to hydrate her wooden wash tubs by keeping them filled with fresh water between use. It is one of my earliest memories. Thanks for the nostalgia.
Kitten's markings are beautiful.❤
Aren’t they?!
I kept on thinking of the Lucille Ball grape stomping sketch all the time while I was watching this video!! LOL!!
😂😅😂😅😂😅
@@kathygabby3519 😂😂😂!!
Love how you record everything you all are doing and accomplishments every day instead of talking about it. You do it!😅❤
After the juice extraction process for wine production, what remains is called "pomace" or "marc." This residue consists primarily of grape skins, seeds, and solid parts of the grapes that were not used to make the juice. Pomace can be discarded, but it can also be used to produce other products such as spirits like "Água ardente or Bagaço" or even for composting purposes
Ours usually ends up on the compost heap but this year I may stick it in a bucket with a lid and give it to a local distiller.
What you are doing is authentic and organic , I really hope it all comes out brilliantly.
Loved the vlog as usual. The content is so varied. I adore your cats, dogs and chickens. The pics of that sunset are incredible. Who would believe those colours? .........the wine is well on its way too. Punching through the 'crust' looked amazing. As the days went on Iewan's arm got redder and redder!!!
Haha my hand is very red now!
Hi guys absolutely loved the video this week the wine process the animals fantastic on the rain yea you guys have come a long way love to you both cuddles to Frankie Diego and the cats hopefully you will find a home for the kitten
I loved seeing your kitchen area. I've not seen it since all the hard work to finish it. I love how you are all living off the land. I love your art.
Fridge must be a game changer, you guys must be very happy with that. You can make ice!
It really is!
😅absolutly.....we take our "conveniences "too much for granted. We appreciate them so much more when you've been without. Enjoyed the vid....lovely pics sunset and more. Much love and luck with the winemaking and finding a home for kitten.❤
Your kitchen is looking amazing. It’s so pretty snd all the things you have added makes it look perfect for your basic needs. I know what you mean by taking amenities for granted.
Lovely video today. I can tell the difference between the pears, the reddish one is a Comice and the green one is a Conference. Comice are good for poaching and the Conference pears are good for stewing. Instead of using sugar and water, I will share my grandma's tip of stewing them in lemonade.
Pears are my favorite fruit. So sublime
I could almost smell tthe heavy rain on the warm dry ground - i can understand the sense of relief. We will shortly be heading into a western Australian summer and i will be counting the days until the rains begin again next april.
Christine here, just love ALL your videos, talking about and sharing your achievements is wonderful. Looking forward to sharing your journey in the future. Very pleased you have another added convenience to your life, especially during the hot summers! Take care and hugs from South Africa xx
I love seeing your Marigolds. I planted the same kind last year and collected the seeds at the end of season. I planted them this spring. Mom had been very sick and I was praying they would bloom for her return from the hospital. She went downhill really fast and I snapped a photograph of the first blooms. Her vision was not good at that point; she was excited that they had bloomed. I lost her; right after that photograph. Thanks for sharing Your Marigolds. I had planted them for encouragement; for her to move forward, she did move to her heavenly home.
Sorry for your loss😢
Sorry for your loss
You need some of that Italian "grape stomping" music they always show in movies! Lol I think it's supposed to make you stomp more enthusiastically. Of course, you might need a bigger container to stomp in tune. That sunset was unbelievable! Fabulous! Doing without is the quickest way to remind you of how lucky you are when you get them back.
Bom dia meus amigos adorei o vidio especialmente as vidimas e depois pisar as uvas voltei à minha infancia o meu pai tinha muito vinho tanto branco como tinto ele punha açucar para o vinho ficar mais suave. Tinha grandes toneis para pôr o vinho mas tambem prensava o vinho para espremer totalmente as uvas. Foi um vidio fantástico gostei muito. Thank you very much e voltem sempre ❤❤ 🐆🐕🐆🐕🐱🐱🐈🐈🐓🐔
You need a giant potato masher (in wood) for those grapes!🤣
I really do! Haha
200L? Incredible, now imagine how much you can make if you take care of the vines!
We should be hoping for 300l from 150 vines so we’re getting there each year. The vines were in pretty bad shape when we took over the land, I think I’ve more than halved the size of each vine and still need to take more 😅 if you’ve any books or websites with advice on more ‘vine care’ I’d love to see, there is so much to learn with vineyard management!
Adapting to living differently teaches you so much about what's really necessary in life & how to let go of the things you thought you had to have but realise you didn't after all. The basics of running water, being able to wash yourself, keeping food fresh, the ability to cook properly, warmth in winter are the most important & now you have them all thanks to your own efforts. Did you say you'd have tabby kit's bits dealt with because it's best to in case whoever rehomes him doesn't or all his kids 😸 😸 😸 😸 will head straight for you!!
It's such a nice video. I loved it, and you have made so much wine this year. 🎉 I am glad that the temperature has dropped and you are able to have the refrigerator for this harvest. What a blessing to see this leap forward, especially after catching upvwith the year review series. Enjoy the Fall! Did you grow all the grapes that you used? ❤
It’s great fun! Yes all the grapes came from our land. We will need a license in order to sell the wine and we’ll also need to register the company in Portugal.
What a dreamy life! I mean, I was raised in a local farming village so I know physical labor is not for the weak of heart but this surely looks peaceful. Thank you for sharing another relaxing video for me or us who could not afford to buy a land of ours and live like you do.
Love seeing all the harvest helpers on deck, having fun, supervising and running around!!!😊 Grape stomping must be very satisfying!!❣️ Caught the Super Blue Moon too!!❣️
Saludos desde Chiapas, México. CHRIST! that was an amazingly gorgeous sunset unlike anything I have ever seen and we get so w beautiful ones here in Chiapas. I went back a few times to rewatch that part. I'd love to try some of that wine. I hope somebody will want that cute cat. It was such a nice and diverse vlog. Bendiciones desde Chiapas!
Aren't olive trees beautiful. Love your channel. Your pets are so fun to watch there so happy. What a beautiful country. Portugal is. Good luck with your life's in Portugal.
Thanks! For the kitty
Thank you so much John! We’ve got an appointment booked next week!
Cat is so adorable.
This was such a nice video! Great job on the wine pressing, it looks like a ton of fun! Also, those Bluetti batteries seem awesome!
Thanks Gonçalo! Hope you’re well!
Alby and Diogo at the waterhose 😍🤗
So excited for you having the frig now. It will sure allow you to keep your produce longer and of course, cold drinks is the bomb! I love watching you make wine and looking forward to seeing how the addition of the wooden barrels will enhance the final product. Great video
Hi from Liverpool. Really enjoyed your video as always to true nothing staged .watching them always slows me down. If you still have the kitten and its only finance thats stopping you i would contribute to there food etc. You would give it such s loving home❤
Qué bonito ver llover ❤ mucha suerte con encontrar una familia para el gatito.. pobrecito 😢❤
Oh gosh that darling kittens markings are so beautiful, what a sincerely love bug! Who ever gets him is blessed. Commenting from Reno, Nevada, Usa❤
I have had three hellish days and this evening I watch your channel and now I feel in total bliss - well done you, clearly soothing balm for a troubled world❤️
Its my usual comment I am afraid - wonderful stuff, blood pressure down, love this stuff. Thanks
Ahh never be afraid of repeating that comment! ❤️❤️
Cold beer and ice cream🎉🎉🎉 I hope you will find a loving home for the sweet kitten❤ Running out into the rain to get poor Diego❤❤❤❤
Carissa, the little talk you did at the end was really beautiful. I haven't had the experience of living off-grid (yet) but due to life circumstances in the past I am able to relate to the feeling of "adding back in" things that seem so normal in a regular life, and which you had to be without for a while. It's true that you simply get used to different circumstances and find ways to work around everything, and it's incredible how much simple and small things can become so meaningful and greatly appreciated when they are added back into the lifestyle. I loved this episode and it wasn't "chaotic" at all. Stomping the grapes together must have been fun (you could have made a little stomping dance the two of you 🤣). One could really hear the total joy and relief in your laughter when it was raining so much, that was nice. I love how cats just keep appearing at your place. I am a bit jelly I admit, I long for a cat so much, but I'll have to wait a little bit more. Hopefully they will also appear on our doorstep once we make the move into our off-grid adventure in Portugal 😄 The little guy looks very cute. It's understandable that you have to draw a line somewhere though 😆 Congratulations on the fridge! 🥳 (and the kettle, and running tap water)
All I can see is the I love Lucy episode of her stomping grapes in Italy. What a beautiful sight
We stood outside a gazed at the super blue moon here too ! 🇨🇦. Yay a fridge Congratulations !
#2AmazingHumanBeings... The world is better 4 having you both...
Hello, what a beautiful video! And an EPIC sky! Can’t wait to see them In person, two year , 4 month and some days and counting. Wish I was already there to take that beautiful kitty. So happy you are enjoying that new frig/freeze. Thank God fir rain !!!
I'm about a month late watching this video (I just found your channel) but there's hope you will see my comment. I grew up off grid. We had homemade, seasonal electricity from the time I was about 6 years. But, no phone, wood heat, nearest neighbors were about 13 miles away. The good thing about growing up this way is that if you suddenly lose your electric, it's not a big deal. My husband is a city boy and he gets mad if the electricity goes off, swearing at the utility company and stomping around the house. I had to show him how to make a cup of coffee, since there was a nice hot fire burning in the wood stove at the time. Ha ha. On a side note, I am not much of a cat person. It's not that I don't like them but I don't completely trust them. Last year, our neighbor across the street suddenly died and his family didn't like his cats. Consequently, his three cats, one at a time, moved over here to our home. It took awhile to figure out where they were coming from but I sure am enjoying our new little family members. They have got control of our vole problem and I was able to grow a nice vegetable garden again. One of the cats follows me everywhere I go, out to feed the horse, pick beans, dig a new garden plot... he's wonderful company and it's nice to be so loved. Also, I used to make wine but I don't drink it anymore. I used all our fruit to make fruit wines and added grapes to some of them. We had lots of grapes some years and practically none other years. It was fun and watching you made me miss it.
W the red sky in the clouds was so dramatic ❤😊
I thought I saw you guys last Tuesday in Povoa but I wasn't sure. Now that I see the new fridge, I am sure it was you guys. Iwan went into the cafe we were at to get 2 drinks then drove off with a fridge in the car. This is a great episode btw. Well done with the wine.
Loved the light in the evening shot of you watering, calming effect. The sound of the fermentation when you press it under again also sounds good. ❤
It's great to hear you had plenty of grapes to make another batch of wine, or may I say two big tubs, though you may have to buy another big tub for next year. Well done, I'm learning from you how it's done, not that I would do it😊 The night sky you filmed was beautiful it's so magical. I love your animals & can see the dilemma you are facing I have been there done that & wished I could have been in a better financial situation to keep a few of the dogs I saved off the streets but in the end got help from my local council to take them & find homes for them . You are saving these animals which is a great thing ❤❤ Great you have fitted hoses to your water tank that will help when there is lots of rain. Love following you guys you are amazing ❤ Victoria
Love the cat licking water off her paw! The sunset was one of the best I’ve ever seen! I think I could sit by that vat of grapes and just pop all the unpopped grapes, so relaxing. Do you give any grapes to chickens?
Lovely video today, thank you.
Thank you so much for posting accountant link. Love the serenity of your videos
Another enjoyable, wonderful, video which I have been spending time watching I have to admit neglecting my duties which isn't like me to do. I enjoyed everything about your video I must thank you get busy catching up on my duties until next video thanks again. I just love seeing your beautiful animals enter acting with each other loving on each other.
These are two lovely people 👏👏👏
You're both brilliant!!
Beautiful sky!!
Do you ever show cooking, & what you have for dinner. Or do you BBQ?❤❤❤❤
Yes we do all of the above.. I made a carrot cake last week.
Beautiful sunset.
Just picked the first of our grapes this morning and plan to stomp after lunch. Your grapes look very good. Do you have any diseases that are endemic to the grapes there? Here (southern France) we have oidium and mildew, for which we have to, respectively, treat with sulphur and copper sulphate or we get nothing at all. This year, in addition, the wild boars came in and decimated the crop... Oh well, every year is different! I'd be interested to know what, if anything, you had to do to keep those grapes looking so healthy.
I just adore your little videos. You have real talent on a whole range of skills but especially these very tasteful videos👍😁
Wonderful video! RAIN~! raindrops on tomatos and zicchini ~ beautiful. Very interesting grapes to wine process, wish I could taste some of it when 'cured'💜
Good grapes harvest god bless your family
Your kitten arrived through the animal grapevine. 😂 You take such good care of your pets, they are happy, content and loved. They are adorable. 😍 You are both working so hard it is lovey to see the things you have achieved. Your drawings are beautiful. Love watching the wine making progess. The veggie garden, really just everything. Well done. One does go through trial and tribulations and victories. Mostly victories because every little thing you do is a win. My partner has a great saying: learning by doing.🍇🍇🍷 😂 You are both the custodians of a piece of mother earth and are taking good care of her. I'm not sure if you have done a permaculture course but you can watch KZhead videos for knowledge. How to stop, store and seep water into the land. I did a permaculture course. As a person who worked in a corporate environment I didn't know anything about growing food, planning what to do on a piece of land, living off the grid, etc. It changed my life for the positive. It is so kind of people to help you. Either by friends helping or gifts. You are so right, we forget how fortunate we are to have water, running water, hot water, electricity, stoves, fridges, etc. I live in Germany with my partner in a house that was built in 1699. We do have central heating that warms our hot water. When we don't have money we can't fill the oil tank. Oil is very expensive here. I spent in total, a year heating water on the stove and trying to wash my long hair in buckets, in the bath. 😢 I can say it is not pleasant. Glad you rigged up a water heater in your shower. Wishing you both and all the fury and feathered friends lot's happiness and success. Ciao. 🤗🌺💜🌼👋🏞️
Thanks. Great video
200 liters...Wow! Congratulations guys...
Thank you!
About five years ago my wife and I lived for a few years in my son-in-law's rental home that had belonged to his grandmother. She had been brought over from southern Italy at the age of 8 by her parents and they settled in Shamokin, PA. She had died at the age of 93 and my son-in-law asked us to move into the house to keep it up. Anyway, down in one corner of the basement was a homemade concrete wine vat where they stamped out the grapes. It was about 4 ft. square and about 3 ft. deep that drained into a small area where they bottled their homemade wine. Some of the bottles of wine were still stored down in the basement. The tiny backyard was only about 22 ft. wide x 15 ft. long and they grew vegetables and had grape vines back there to make all of their own wine. Some of those bottles of wine were still in the basement. A bit of Old World technology brought over to "The New World" about a century ago.
I always love your vlogs. Wow, what rain. You needed it. You would love the sunsets in Labrador too. They are often like that, even more beautiful during the winter. Blueti is a huge game changer for you. Congrats on your new shop and getting a fridge. The fur babies melt my heart. Diogo got saved again. Thanks mom. I really hope this is your best batch yet.❤
Thank you for another beautiful and tranquil video. You had an amazing crop of grapes for your home made wine., and it will be interesting to see how the pear cider works out. The vegetables are looking really good too, and it's good you had all that rain to refresh everything. I loved seeing Albie drinking from the hosepipe 😊 Great news about you having your new fridge freezer! Your kitchen is coming along nicely now with the addition of more appliances. Carissa, I'm looking forward to the new branding of your business. 😊💕💕
Have you tried using Ollas to water your garden? Im in Australia, our summers are fairly extreme as well. I use them ( well the cheap terracotta pots anyway lol) and i save heaps of water,and the soil stays damp.
Love the intro music! Sounds so much like Portugal!
So lovely to watch you being so grateful over small things in this crazy life…❤❤❤❤ oh and that sunset was a wowzer! ❤❤❤
Lovely couple, lovely stuff! Living the dream ❤
Hi, Carissa and Iwan. Thank you for this lovely video! I loved watching the grape harvest and the early stage of wine making. Another cat! Is there somewhere that invites cats to your homestead?😉 I agree that three cats is enough. I’m going to check out your Etsy shop, Carissa. Thank the rain gods for that deluge🙏 See you next week❤️❤️
I bet the night sky over there is amazing without the light pollution. I bet you see twice as many stars as we do in the uk. First video ive seen odf yours and love it subbed..
Just beautiful! Congratulations on the grape harvest and the rain 😊
You did a beautiful job on your kitchen!
Yay! The fridge-freezer must make a huge difference! 😁 I was a bit more mystified by the "pear cider". Wouldn't you make perry exactly the same way you would make natural cider - ie crush/chop and then juice the apples (or pears) and not add any water to the juice, before leaving it to ferment from its own natural yeasts? I've made cider from apples from my UK allotment that way and it certainly wasn't the worst cider I've ever drunk. (Mind you, I do come from Bristol, so make of that what you will... 🤣) Perhaps you should add an apple scratter/fruit crusher/mill to your wish list. ;-)
Haha i won’t lie I totally made up the recipe/method. We put some apples in water in our first year here to try and preserve them for a day or two while we came up with a better solution for scratting them than our tiny cheese grater - after two days I went to check on them and they’d started to ferment and had an amazing scrumpy kind of smell so I just left them all to it, just mashing whenever the fruit was soft enough. It came out really well 😅🤷♂️ You’re right though some proper kit would make it a lot easier to make the most of the fruit we have!
All the best for your new wine .
You guys make my heart❤ sore thank you so much for all the lovely videos .
Hi 👋 I was sent over by Camp Out West and first watched your 2 wonderful timelapse videos. After that I went back to about October last year and have binge watched them until I finally got to this video. Love everything about your channel and have thoroughly enjoyed the journey to here and look forward to more The only problem I have now is everytime I find a new channel and binge watch I end up with a list of more new channels and I have to binge watch them 🤦🤦 I like to do this so I can get to know you properly (as much as you can on gere obviously). BTW my youngest daughters is the welsh name Cerys (no not after the singer) because we fell in love with it when we were researching names
Enjoy the wine ❤
👏👏for getting your frig. The stomping of the grapes was such a pleasure to watch. Hope the wine this year will be splendid. Watching all the progress you’ve made over the time is 👏👏👏👏💯✔️.
Since you are successful at making drinkable wine, I thought you were an experienced wine maker. Congratulations on your success.
Thank you! I was experienced in mind 😅 we’re very glad it worked!
congrats on the fridge!
Remarkable sunsets!
Hi Guys Just watched your latest episode with the rain, here in rural Australia we capture and harvest all rain fall as some rural placers like Portugal do not have mains water. I think you can buy 25000 plastic rain water tanks , by enough for 200 litres per day for personal usage, that means 75000 litres {3 x25000 litre tanks } then all your well water can be used for everything else< No more buying water for drinking, so some construction of good roof gutters with down pipes {75mm to 100mm to your tanks with a serie4s of broard filters for leaves and twigs. You could use another filter before it enters your dwelling. I did search and they are available in Portugal but I did not see any pricing. Love the videos and the work you do helping other ex pats. All the best from Down Under,
❣️Oh gosh!!! Those sunsets are BREATHTAKING ❣️❣️💗🌟
I'm SO excited to see your wine Dreams growing!! How is the olive growth this year. I loved watching y'all harvesting olives a couple of (or few) years ago
Saludos desde Chiapas, México. CHRIST! that was an amazingly gorgeous sunset unlike anything I have ever seen and we get some beautiful ones here in Chiapas. I went back a few times to rewatch that part. Good luck on your wine casking and fermentation. Hopefully somebody will want to give that cute cat a home. Your vlog was diverse. Saludos y bendiciones.
Maybe a shade cloth over some of garden would help in the hottest time of summer.
Love your videos. Thanks for sharing.
❤i did grape stomping in Santorini and Rhodes Greece. So romantic lol😊