The more closely we work with the vineyard, the less it makes sense to think of the vines alone.
Standing Fox is a mosaic of vineyards, forest, open meadows, olive groves, fruit trees, gardens and cultivated land. Each part affects the others.
The trees in our oldest olive grove are over two hundred years old. We have also planted new olive groves, not to replace the old ones but to continue the agricultural life of the estate.
Fruit grows throughout the Quinta: citrus, figs, cherries, apples, pears, plums, nectarines, pomegranates, persimmons, quince, kiwis, tangerines and table grapes. Vegetables and herbs grow here too.
The forest requires active care. We clear undergrowth to reduce fire risk, maintain access and protect the wider landscape. We have planted a range of indigenous Portuguese tree species to increase diversity and strengthen the woodland over time.
The objective is not to make nature look tidy.
It is to create a more resilient estate.
Birds move between the forest and vines. Insects, fungi and microorganisms play their own roles. Chickens forage through parts of the vineyard. Manure becomes compost. Pruned wood and cleared vegetation are mulched back into the land rather than routinely burned.
Foxes are part of this landscape too. We have seen them in remarkably different coats: russet red, silvery grey, and even a rare black fox moving through our forest.
A vineyard is agriculture. It requires intervention, decisions and work. Our philosophy is not to leave the land alone, but to intervene with purpose: protecting it where necessary, rebuilding what has been depleted, and leaving room for complexity where control adds nothing.
The vines matter enormously.
But the vineyard is healthier when the life around them matters too.
