Among the Vines, Another Life Takes Shape

They wanted to slow down, to find a more sustainable balance in life. So they started a vineyard. Paradoxical? Yes. Logical? Also yes — if your names are Jessica Karlsson and Johannes Celik. On a narrow strip of land along the coastal road between Trelleborg and Näset, their next life project is slowly taking shape.

“At the risk of sounding like the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve… we started the vineyard to find a lifestyle with a slower pace and better balance.”

Johannes Celik says it without a hint of irony. Still, the words give me pause, because the image is hard to ignore: two people looking to slow down choosing instead to plant several thousand vines that require constant care throughout the year.

Jessica Karlsson nods in agreement:

“We’re building this for our family — to create a place where we can come together. This project is for our future.”

A Life at a Fast Pace

For many residents of Vellinge, Johannes and Jessica are familiar faces. They have spent most of their adult lives in the restaurant world – an industry where nothing ever truly slows down. Johannes has been involved in building businesses such as Mötesplats Österlen and Kronovalls Wine Castle, and has moved fluidly within the world of wine through import and sales. Jessica, trained as an educator, has worked with gastronomy, interior design and gardens.

Together, since the day they met and fell in love 35 years ago, they have created their own small universe in Höllviken: Märtas Kafé & Shop, Märtas by the Sea, and the ice‑cream bar at Höllvikstrand. He, the visionary and idea generator; she, the grounded steward who makes things last.

The pace has been high for many years. Late nights. Three dinner seatings. Summer seasons that never offer a pause for breath. Babysitters at home. Phones that never stop ringing. And, for Johannes, a body that eventually made it clear it had had enough.

“We never really sit still,” Jessica notes with a laugh. “We’re not the kind of people who can just sit on the sofa and watch television.”

“In the restaurant business, you’re only as good as the last plate you served,” Johannes adds. “And I’m restless by nature. When a project is finished, it’s as if I lose my footing. I need something new to build.”

Saying Yes to the Horizon

Johannes has always been drawn to the coastal road between Trelleborg and Näset. What captivated him was the light, the wind, the open fields – and the sea, never quite leaving the line of sight. It was here he brought Jessica one day a few years ago. He stopped the car on the slope above a run‑down 1960s house that was for sale, and let the view do the rest.

“I asked her straight out: could you live with this view? She looked out across the landscape and said yes,” Johannes recalls.

The following day there was a viewing. The bidding was already underway, and the tempo followed suit. They placed their bid the same day and signed the papers later that afternoon.

What followed were several years of building. The old villa became a home, complemented by two modern structures and a large glass‑enclosed atrium. Together they form a sheltered courtyard, wrapped around a pool at its centre.

When the Climate Moves North

Two years ago, the first spadefuls of earth marked the beginning of the couple’s next chapter: the vineyard. On a long, narrow strip of land facing the sea, 3,000 vines were planted – Solaris and Pinot Noir – laid out in straight lines that follow the coastline.

The site has an unusual microclimate. Vellinge is one of Sweden’s warmest municipalities over the course of the year, with a longer growing season, more hours of sunshine and light, sandy soil that warms quickly. These are conditions that an increasing number of winegrowers are seeking out, at the same time as the global wine industry gradually shifts northwards and new regions emerge in unexpected places.

“Here, we have sun from morning until late evening, salty air and a completely open location. It’s a rare combination. Everything pointed to the fact that wine could work here, and it will be exciting to see what character the wine from this place will take on,” says Johannes, pointing towards the far end of the vineyard before we step into the black, corrugated‑steel building that will become the heart of the operation.

Inside the elongated structure, tables and chairs have been set out to get a feel for the space, the acoustics and how it might be used in the future. Johannes stops in the middle of the concrete floor and laughs.

“Philippe Blanc, the vineyard guru from Alsace, was here. He ran around among the vines, sensing the energy. Right here,” Johannes continues, marking the spot with his foot, “Philippe said there was especially good energy.”

More Than Just Wine

In April, Höllvikens Vingård officially opens. But the vines are still young and do not yet carry enough fruit to produce wines of their own. The first true harvest is expected in 2027, but until then the vineyard will be open to the public in other ways.

“We want the place to feel open and accessible. Art exhibitions, small tastings, collaborations with winemakers, chefs or speakers – there are many ways to use the site before the wine is ready.”

As they talk, it becomes clear that the ambition reaches far beyond wine production itself. It is about creating a place in motion, one that changes with the seasons and helps keep the local community alive.

“It will be a destination in its own right,” Johannes says with quiet confidence. “We want to broaden the idea of what a vineyard can be.”

Investing Late in Life

In conversation, Johannes and Jessica often return to what it means to start over completely at a stage in life when most people choose the opposite. After years of hard work, tight schedules and a family life lived at full speed, they could have chosen rest. Instead, they chose a project that demands patience, physical presence and long‑term thinking.

“We’re doing something that may reach its peak in 15 or even 30 years. I might not even be alive then.”

This is where their motivation becomes clear. They talk about slowing down, but also about building something that doesn’t need to be finished quickly. They want the place to grow at its own pace, and for the business eventually not to rest entirely on their shoulders. The goal is to create a structure that works even when they themselves are not involved in every detail.

Jessica, by now well accustomed to Johannes’s tempo, leans back and shrugs, her expression carrying both realism and anticipation.

“Being part of creating Näset’s first sparkling wine doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”