To find this idyllic place turn off the A369 Algeciras to Ronda road at Algatocin and follow the steep winding road signposted to Genalguacil.

Then on through forests of chestnut trees, which give the local villagers their living, until the Genal river is reached. Park alongside the road just before the bridge, or at the venta. Most times it will be quiet, but on weekends the Venta San Juan just across the bridge can be busy. It has great barbequed meat and is the perfect place to have a hearty lunch.

There is an information board on the left and right side of the road which gives you information about the rivers life and how the area evolved.

Follow the path just to the left of the bridge going up river, this leads on to smaller inlets and rivers running shallows and knee high pools which have been banked up by accumulated stones and fallen trees. Walking along this path means you get your feet wet so make sure you have suitable shoes.

A number of tempting places alongside the river and pools entice, but ignore these even if the cooler box is heavy, or stop and paddle for a while. Then walk on until a long stretch of the river is reached and the path is no more.

Here under dappled chestnuts is the place to spread the picnic blankets, blow up the floats and relax with cold wine or beers.

For the adventurous there are long stretches of crystal clear water to paddle along. Possibly to find out what is making that constant splashing sound in the distance.
Or just to find absolute privacy and quiet.

Further up river you will find more falls and pools which could lead you on along the whole length of the river if you had time. The high mountain walls alongside the river hem it in but slope out from it, so they do not make it feel oppressive.

So . . . the secret is disclosed, I hope the locals don’t find out I have told you!

Quite how different may be seen by how the owner reckons that, if you are on the train, you can ask the conductor to stop at the normally not-stopping station, and once you finish lunch you can signal the returning train to stop and pick you up!

The hours of the restaurant are posted at the doorway, but can change.

The train times are posted on the outside terrace of the restaurant but no instructions of how actually to hail the train to pick you up!

The outside terrace is the old platform and is covered for shade and the odd splash of rain. A shaded lawn garden surrounds the restaurant, with cats and birds vying for crumbs.

As the long lunch takes its course the odd train will pass by, from the new local bullet nosed ones to the long distance Talgo’s on their way to Madrid. Adding to the ‘sleepy station being passed by’ feel to the place.

The food is excellent and presented on the plate in a very attractive way. All courses have wide choices and are changed often. The service is good and not rushed.
A favourite place of ours to eat, not least for its quirkiness as an old railway station, complete with a station masters uniform and hat on the wall.

The link to their website is at: http://laestacion.sanpablodebuceite.com

The recipe I followed was from the website: www.ivillage.co.uk.

Everything worked out fine but I had much more mixture so I put the leftover amount into a small tin, lined with greaseproof paper. It worked well and when it was cooked made a small oblong sandwich cake. The cakes took a little longer to cook but I always feel that oven cooking times can vary so much that you have to use your own judgment.

As you can see from the photo, I went one step further. My butterfly cakes are delicious. I scooped out the middle bit from the each cake and put a dollop of butter-cream icing (75g butter & 150g sifted icing sugar beaten with just a little milk at the end for a better consistency) and a little bit of homemade plum jam on half the cakes and homemade nectarine jam on the other half.

Mmmmmm! . . . simply delicious and reminded me of when my children were young and I used to bake fairy cakes. It was a fight between all three of them as to who was going to lick the bowl, beaters and spoons!

Basic recipe for fairy cakes

Makes 24 mini cakes or 12 larger ones

For mini cakes you will need a 12 hole tartlet tin (these are 5cm at the rim and 1½ cm deep) and you will need to use it twice. For larger fairy cakes use a 12-hole bun tin (these are 6½ cm at the rim and 2cm deep). You can use the little paper cases according to the size tin you have. If not, butter the base and sides of the holes before filling with the mixture.

Ingredients: 125g/4½ oz softened butter 125g/4½ oz caster sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 125g/4½ oz self-raising flour 2 tbsp milk

Method: Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5. Either butter the tin or place the paper cases in the holes (see above). In a mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. You can use an electric whisk or a wooden spoon. Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, whisking to incorporate, then beat in the vanilla. Sift in half of the flour and fold into the mixture. Add the milk and the rest of the flour and fold until well combined. Spoon into the tin and bake for 12 minutes or until risen and golden on top. Allow to cool for ten minutes on a rack before removing from the tin.

We had sulphered but this year as usual but downy mildew took its toll and stopped leaf and vine growth in its tracks. The tempranillo was more or less wiped out but the syrah was okay and had reasonable grape growth. We have learned this year that we should use Bordeaux mixture, here it is called ‘Caldo Bordeles’ to stop downy mildew. The sulphur is to stop powdery mildew.

We like to harvest near the full moon when it is waxing gibbous. The best date was the 10th August and the brix levels in the grapes that we had were on average 20.

So at 5.30 we started cutting having laid out tables and work areas on the terrace and washed down all the buckets and basins and prepared our new destemmer or ‘despalilladora’ as it is called in spanish.

Friends arrived to help, being put into teams of cutters, carriers and table sorters. We did not have so many grapes and the new machine made easy work of destemming which last year had taken up so much time. By 9.00 it was all done with maybe only 200 litres in the fermenting tank. A big disappointment when we were expecting 1500 litres, but a lesson that nature can be fickle.

We cleared away all the buckets and had a harvest breakfast of hot sausage and bacon rolls washed down with bucks fizz, then some beer. Tortilla, cold meats, cheeses and prawns did the round of the table until all were full and ambled off ‘muy contento’!

Thanks to all who helped namely Carl & Jill, Carmen, Christine, David, Sarah & Antonio, Ikuku,  Jenny & Einar, Jim & Louise, Julia & Gordon, Paco, Penny, Thiery & Breda & Alannah.

The last word goes to Molly, our lost and found basset hound. She found it all too much and just laid down and fell asleep!

On the same tree will often be found the two different types of olive. The ‘manzanilla’ olive which has the shape of a little apple, round and plump, and the slightly elongated olive which is left on the tree to become black and is picked in late November or December and is used to make oil. Some trees have just one type of olive but grafting can give double cropping.

So now the verdear begins, clambering up a ladder to reach as many olives as possible. Standing on branches, stretching out and up, the olives seem to dance out of reach just when you think you have them in your grasp. The sun blazing down . . . hot and thirsty work, also very dirty as the trees seem to collect dust. The olives cannot be bashed down with a large stick like they can later in the years as they will bruise.

Olives that have small marks are okay for preserving, as the mark can be cut away, but deep marks are no good as it usually extends into the flesh of the olive and once cut away leaves very little left to eat.

Once collected, the olives with bad marks are discarded and the rest washed. Next job is to slice around the olive to allow the flesh to be cured. There are some wooden lap crushers that do the job of opening up the olive, but it leaves the olive looking battered with a gaping wound . . . not nice to look at when eating.

A washing up bowl full of olives will make about eleven or twelve good sized jars. I put the jars into the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C and boil the jar lids on the stove for the same time before filling.

I put 3 table spoons of salt into 1 litre of water, the salt water is thus the main medium for curing and this is not a too salty mixture, you can experiment here and maybe use less salt. It will take about 4 litres of this preparation to deal with our washing up bowl full. Now we start to bottle the olives. Some methods have you soaking the olives pressed down under water and changing the water until the water is clear, but this often leads to the olives going mouldy.

Into each jar put olives so that the jar is half full, then use some small pieces of lemon, two crushed garlics, a sprig of rosemary, a torn bay leaf, some torn basil leaves and a sprinkling of dried chilli. Pour the salty water over then fill the jar full of olives with more pieces of lemon, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, basil and dried chill. Fill the jar to the brim putting a final layer of olives on the top. Seal and store in a dark place for at least 3 months.

This recipe can vary, red peppers can by used or fresh chillies or oregano. Any number of herbs can be used.
The salt water cures the olives by way of the cut made and the added ingredients give flavours. When the jar is opened it often foams out as fermentation has taken place. Rinse the preserved olives off several times and discard any olives that have discoloured. Pour over good quality olive oil before serving.

The devil is in the detail, so . . .

Barrel One

Five days prior to bottling,in mid January, I used four egg whites mixed with half a litre of  salty water to pour into the barrel. This is to take down to the bottom any remaining sediment that may be in solution.

Used 4 crushed camden tablets (sodium metabsulphite) in small white bucket for corks to soak. Used 10 crushed camden tablets in larger white container to flush through the pump and then put water into bottle soaking bin. We are using the pump to transfer the wine from the barrel to a container that has a tap and can thus fill the bottles easily.

Used two crushed camden tablets in container with tap and put water in  bottle soaking bin.

Rinsed bottles in sink using bottle brush then into black bin that has crushed camden tablets added. Soaked and rinsed bottles thoroughly, then into oven at 200 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes. The bottles have then to cool down for 10 minutes or so and then go straight to have the wine poured in and corked.

Changed water in soaking bin after processing 100 bottles or so and used 10 crushed camden tablets each time.

Started bottling at 12.30 and finished at 6.30 having bottled 256 bottles from the barrel before the sediment came through.

We tasted as we bottled and found the wine to have a bright, clear and fresh burgundy colour, there is some nose which should dissipate and the wine has medium length and a fresh young fruity flavour.

Barrel Two

Late February and time to prepare for bottling.  Used exactly the method as previously.

Bottled 252 bottles, which took nearly 6 hours.

The wine has a bright and clear burgundy colour, this time with no nose and good fresh berry fruit bouquet and flavour.

Barrel Three

Late April and time to prepare for last bottling of the 2010 vintage.  Used exactly the method as previously as it has worked well.

Bottled 238 bottles, which again took nearly 6 hours.

This final bottling has bright and clear colour with no nose and fresh berry fruit flavour, but is a little dryer.

Next year we will go into stainless steel tanks as I want to have consistent flavour.

The press is cleaned and washed down ready for use. In fact all the buckets, tubes, colanders, funnels, utensils etc are sterilised and cleaned. First we transfer the free liquid using tubes into the barrels. This method is slow even with three tubes so next year we will get a pump. The fine tubes avoid too many pips and bits of skin getting into the barrel, although they do add flavour. Also a fine muslin is used to filter out any bits.

It is a slow process but on a sunny day with an occasional taste check not a bad job to be doing. As the tank empties the pips and pulp and skins are put into the press and squeezed as tight as we can. We only fill the press up to the half way mark and after two pressings we put the whole batch of skins through again and even more juice comes out.

Presses like this have not changed in centuries and it is a tried and sure way for small winemakers to squeeze the last drop out of the grapes. The creaking of the wood blocks, in the press, as they take the strain is alarming but as long as they are placed square to each other and do not slip there is no chance of a sudden collapse. There is a lot of alcohol and flavour in the pressed wine, it has a thicker consistency than the free run juice.

As the last of the wine is taken from the main tank and the last pressing made the dry skins and pips are put into separate containers to be distributed around the vineyard. We place them around each vine rather than just throw down in the lines. There maybe some side products, like soap, we could make from the skins but so far we just use it for mulch. Lifting the cake from the press becomes a game to see who can lift the most entire piece.

Once all the wine is in the barrels we added diluted campden tablets at the rate of 1 tab per 5 litres. So each barrel of 225 litres has 45 tablets added to control any bacterial action. As we have no cellar our barrels sit outside on the covered terrace against the house wall, not ideal but as temperatures drop now, we should average down to 14C through the winter, we will see how that works out. We do get air frost in January down to -5C but other winter months can be in the 20C’s so some variance.

First step was to collect a dozen quinces and wash thoroughly and get the downy fluff off them. Next stage was to cut out the pips and core but to leave the skin intact which has a lot of pectin. Some recipes advise to cut the skin off as well and others to leave all intact and just cut up, there are many choices.

Then the next step is to put the cut pieces into a pan of cold water, with two large lemon slices. Just cover the quince pieces and bring to  the boil. Leave on a slow boil until very soft but intact. Some recipes have a vanilla pod included during the boil. I think the flavour is intense enough anyway, so it brings little to the final taste.

Pour off the hot water and puree the quince pieces with a hand blender or liquidiser. Optionally you could sieve for a finer and clearer finished product. Put into large heavy pot, with two good squeezes of lemon and over a low heat stir in sugar This could be pectin added sugar for a higher chance of the quince setting or regular sugar. I used 1 kilo regular sugar to 1.6 kilos of fruit as it is sweet enough, the ratio can vary depending on your taste. Once sugar is dissolved continue on low heat until the quince thickens to a deep reddish amber colour and the mixing spoon leaves a clear line along the bottom of the pan when drawn across.

Transfer to a parchment lined shallow pan which has been lightly oiled or buttered, and spread quince paste over the surface. Put into oven at low heat (50°C) with the fan on for at least an hour or maybe even two hours to get dry and set on the pan.

Once done, take out and let cool. Put into fridge in tupperware or similar container and let set more. Sprinkle with castor sugar if required.

Looks and tastes a bit like a fruitier turkish delight.

Great with cheese or just toast.

Trouble is if you have a tree full of the things, like me, and it does take some time to make, so where to put it all? Maybe its best to make a jam and put into jars as they are easier to store.

Tubing wine from barrel

Using a narrow tube and capillary action we took the wine from the barrel and put it through a Vinturi Wine Aerator so that the wine was oxygenated before going in the bottles. This was a slow and laborious job involving many hands and because of the position of the barrel we had to sit awkwardly. A lesson to be learned for next year! We then poured the wine into the bottles

Hands, Tubes and Funnels

The bottles had previously been thoroughly washed in a cleaning and disinfecting solution and then had 15 minutes in the oven at 200C. As the bottles were filled we then took a cork from a separate cleaning solution and using our super corking machine pressed home the cork. This requires a strong arm as the nozzle first compresses the cork to make it smaller than the bottle opening and then pushes it down.

As the day continued and the line of finished bottles got longer the tedium of this particular job struck us and with a ready supply to hand we had to sample as we went. This led us to think of seemingly inspired variations of how we could accomplish what we were doing more easily. As our talkativeness increased so did our need to quench our thirst on what was after all a hot day anyway.

The line of bottles increased until at last we had over 200 of the blighters. Now where to put them? The coolest place in the house was in the porch, where the barrel had been, and in the family bathrooms. So the bottles were racked and stacked under the double sink tops in boxes to lie quietly to see how the taste would mature.

Many green bottles waiting by the wall!

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Grapes ready for cutting

The first lines Brix readings were 19, 22, 21, 19. The estimated alcohol level in the wine is calculated by multiplying the Brix level by 0.55. So onto the third line and readings of 19, 19, 19, 21. We continued through the lines taking readings every three lines that ranged from 19 to 23, so the top vineyard was ready.

On checking the bottom vineyard we started getting Brix readings between 22 and 27,  but also noticed that many bunches of grapes had a mold that looked like Botrytis Cinerea. Some of the grapes on the bunches were good but a lot were not. There had been a heavy rainstorm over a week before then a day of sun then a heavy rainstorm again, so the grapes had become soaked then dried then soaked again. Very unusual for such heavy rain in August and coupled with the strong leaf canopy had led to high humidity and thus the Botrytis. It’s okay if you are making Sauternes in France, Tröckenbeerenauslese in Germany, or Tokaj in Hungary. The mold is called “Noble Rot” and in France “La Pourriture Noble”, and “Edelfaule” in Germany.

Mold on some of the Tempranillo grapes.

Our wine harvest was on Thurday 26th August, probably two weeks later than it should have been. Some of the Tempranillo grapes, especially in the lower vineyard, were spoilt, but there were still lots to pick.

Crusher and de-stemmer work stations ready for the day.

We started at 4am to get a good start so that when the de-stemmers arrived they would have trays full of grapes to work on. With head torches picking out the bunches, we cut and piled the grapes into our carrying buckets. A cool morning, but temperatures would soon be racking up.

The de-stemming and crushing started at 6am and finished at 3pm . . . what a day!

We had great support from friends who helped with picking, de-stemming and crushing from 6am in the morning through till 3pm. Working in the hot sun for long hours in what was one of the hottest days of the year with temperatures near 40C or standing at tables separating grapes from stems. So a big thank you to: Ian, Jenny & Einar, Linda & Adrian, Louise & Jim, Maggie & Ralph, Ros & David , Sharon & John, Tom.

Tearing, de-stemming, crushing and generally working through the pile of grapes.

The borrowed crusher/de-stemmer, turned out to be just a crusher, which was good but led to the same back-log as last year. There were many more grapes than last year which would mean a long day.

The sun rises and still more grapes come down from the cutters.

As our main 1000 litre tank filled and as the day wore on it became apparent that we would not finish in one day so we stopped at 3pm for our harvest celebrations which carried on till late evening.

Jenny and Louise look after the food and drink.

We continued picking and de-stemming the next day from 8am till 8pm until the last of the good grapes were in the tank and vowed to buy a proper de-stemmer for next years harvest.

Hot work means less clothes!

At last the big tank was full and we also had two 75 litre bins nearly full, so just over 1000 litres of must. So maybe three barrels of wine.

Pushing the cap down and stirring over.

Fermentation started right away and so we started freezing water bottles to bring the temperature down to get a long slow fermentation.