Following its relocation to the Sandridge Barton Estate in South Devon last Autumn, 1,500 Chardonnay, 5,000 Pinot Noir and 500 Pinot Meunier vines are being planted in ‘Stoney Field’ this Spring for the multi award-winning Sharpham Wine. In addition, there will be further major investment in new winery equipment and a visitor centre, due to open in March 2022. The new premises, which is situated on the other side of the River Dart, will enable Sharpham Wine to increase its output from 60,000 bottles to 120,000 bottles per year.
Duncan Schwab, CEO and head winemaker at Sandridge Barton, said: “We have a fantastic opportunity to expand our vineyard acreage on the Sandridge Estate on a limestone outcrop that is unique to the South West region. It has long been recognised that great wine regions such as Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis, the Loire and southern Rhône valleys, and Saint-Emilion in Bordeaux are rich with limestone and we are extremely excited to be planting a mixture of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier clones to include both sparkling and still wines.”
“Our goal has always been to produce world class affordable wines in a sustainable and ethical way, whilst showcasing the unique micro-climate and soils of the Dart Valley in South Devon. This new planting will enable us to produce more still wines and particularly expand upon our red wine production, which has been one of our top selling wines over recent years.”
“Our South Devon climate enables us to ripen our fruit over an extended period. We have been noticing that our seasons are starting earlier and continuing into a prolonged Autumn when we harvest in September/ October. The best wines are made in the vineyard, coupled with our minimal intervention approach in our new modern winery, this makes for an exciting future.”
With the new investment and new state-of-the-art winery at Sandridge Barton, Sharpham Wine is now in a position to further help put high quality English wines on the world map.
Sharpham Wine won several medals at the Wine GB Awards 2020 including prestigious Golds for its Pinot Noir and its 2019 Bacchus Stop-Ferment.
Sharpham Wine’s popular visitor centre will continue to operate at its present location on the Sharpham Estate for tours, tastings and purchases once restrictions are lifted.
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