The Douglas S’Estaca estate is better than ever

Diandra, now known by her maiden name of Luker, has responded to the article by insisting that it is not true that there has been degradation of the some 100-hectare estate.

“Fincas,” she says, “are like boats. It’s not what it costs to buy them but to maintain them”.

Diandra observes that when S’Estaca was acquired (in 1989) it was in a state of almost total abandonment.

There was no running water and the electricity supply was barely sufficient for one light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

A great deal of money had to be invested in starting from scratch. And now, she says, the property has never been better.

“Everything is perfect and freshly painted. It is looked after like a jewel.“ The eyes can tell you this. Not me.”

She is proud to have respected the idiosyncrasy and Majorcan tradition of this one-time property of the Archduke Louis Salvador. “Each winter, three men fix the dry-stone terraces by hand, stone by stone.

And in addition to the vines, which give white, red and sparkling wines, there is the garden in which all manner of vegetables are grown: tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes.”