Author: Alastair Leithead

Alastair Leithead

Alastair Leithead is a former BBC foreign correspondent now living off the grid in rural Alentejo. You can find Ana & Al’s Big Portuguese Wine Adventure wherever you get your podcasts.

Island of Green SML: “Saved by irrigation: this house on a hill was saved by space and flood irrigation which kept the fire away” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“The fire shown here from Café Portela in Relva Grande doubled in size in a matter of hours and was blown towards São Teotónio” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Scorched earth: the land was all burned last September, but grass and medronho trees have already recovered” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Blackened valley: the fire burned part of our guesthouse, but it could have been a lot worse” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Close call last year: if the petrol tank had blown up, it would have destroyed the technical house and all the solar equipment inside” (Photo: ALASTAIR LEITHEAD)|“Fighting the fire at Vicentino vineyard: the staff saved the winery and the harvest” (Photo courtesy OLE MARTIN SIEM)

Fire and the future

When fire swept up our valley, we had an hour to choose what to keep and what to leave and let burn. All sorts of strange things made it into

August 31, 2023by Alastair Leithead