[madmike]

Hi,
     Mike here, bought a house in central Portugal in 2007 and retired here last year. Since arriving we have been struggling to get to grips with all the land. We have 1 acre of rough pasture, and 1/2 acre of previously plowed and planted land with fruit trees and vines.
     Despite the land being overgrown and neglected, we got a good crop of peaches, kiwis and grapes and and also a few apples, pears and plums. Does anyone have any tips on wine making, I managed to make 100 litres last year but ended up discarding half the crop as my neighbour lent me a wine press for a couple of days and collected it before I had got very far. This year I will buy my own as mashing grapes manually is labourious and messy.
     After lots of discussions with the other half we had a piglet and a pair of lambs delivered this week, so I have been, looking at your site for tips etc, and we ordered a couple of books of amazon. Hopefully we will make a success of it this year.
     Does anyone have any advice on socialising a pair of adult german shepherd dogs with the new animals.

Mike

[Rosemary]

Hi, Mike and welcome to the TAS forums.

I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice on the wine and the dogs!

[Hilarysmum]

Hi and welcome.  If you can get a second piglet the first will thrive better.  You can sell the second carcass which will cover the costs of the first.  Pigs are social animals and need company of their own kind.  anyway once you eat your own bacon,  ham, sausage, etc. you will wish you had had two.  Also two will better clear all the left over fruit, left over from wine making and any other waste you have as well as clearing your rough land.
 
Happy pig k eeping.

[Fluffywelshsheep]

hiya from fws

[sandy]

Hello, wine making, great stuff, I would NEVER be sober, I want to give that a try one day, welcome, enjoy the forum.