Sharpham Vineyard

Sharpham Vineyard is located on the estate of Sharpham House, in the parish of Ashprington, near the town of Totnes in Devon. It produces mainly dry white wine from the cool climate grape Madeleine Angevine. Like the majority of English vineyards, it is open for tasting in the winery and tours of the vineyard. Though English vineyards are not typically known for producing excellent wine, Sharpham has created a continentally known collection of wine.

Sharpham is also very well known for its Devonshire cheeses. A mixture between herby hard cheeses and creamy summer cheeses, they have gathered awards nationwide and sell cheese all over Devon.

History

Philemon Pownoll, a Royal Navy officer used his huge rich earnings after capturing a Spanish treasure ship (the Hermione) in May 1762 to buy the Sharpham estate, a thousand year old farm consisting of five hundred acres. He then built a large house designed in 1770 by Sir Robert Taylor with gardens designed by Capability Brown, overlooking the fields and wooded slopes above the River Dart, two miles downstream of the ancient market town of Totnes.[1][2]

The estate is now owned by the Sharpham Trust of which author, scholar and teacher Stephen Batchelor is coordinator. Sharpham Partnership is the trading name for the diversified activities run on the family estate. Situated on the banks of the River Dart near Totnes in South Devon, the vineyards, creamery and organic dairy farm have been producing wines and unpasteurised cheeses for over twenty years to local, national and international acclaim.

By producing their own Jersey cow’s milk on the farm and growing a range of carefully selected cool climate grapes varieties in the vineyard, they believe they are in control of production from start to finish. The results are individual, hand made wines and cheeses with a special character and flavour that relates to the unique position in the South Hams area of Devon.

Recent Success

In 2001, it was named the UK Red Wine producer of the year at the UK Vineyards Association Awards.[3]

At the forefront of vine growing and wine making in the UK, Sharpham is widely recognised as producing some of England's most outstanding wines. They have been producing wine for nearly twenty five years. Traditional and new world techniques are used resulting in a range of distinctive and carefully balanced wines. The awards tally includes Regional, National and International medals.

References
  1. Bradt. Slow Devon & Exmoor. p. 144.
  2. "Pownoll, Philemon (b. in or before 1734, d. 1780)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/64864.
  3. "Sharpham Vineyard". The Grocer. September 22, 2001.
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