sharpham
Sharpham Vineyard & Cheese Dairy
The Sharpham estate is a thousand year old farm consisting of five hundred acres owned by the Sharpham Trust, a registered charity. The house, designed in 1770 by Sir Robert Taylor, overlooks the vineyard, meadows and wooded slopes above the River Dart, two miles downstream of Totnes.
The diversified activities run by the family who established the Sharpham Trust include vineyards, dairy farm, cheese dairy, farm shop and café. Wines and unpasteurised cheeses have been produced for nearly 30 years to local, national and international acclaim.
This family business located to the Sharpham Estate in 1961, from a farm in Essex. The herd of Jersey cows settled in quickly to the meadows and the family set about restoring a very run-down farm. The farm was run relatively conventionally, producing milk and lamb under the guidance of the New Zealand farm manager, until the late 1970’s when the owner, Maurice Ash, a trained economist, realised that the economic viability of a small farm, producing commodity products, was fragile.
He and his wife Ruth, started various enterprises that aimed to add value to the farm produce, bring income directly to the farm, and, most importantly to Maurice, seeking to re-establish the connection between the farmer and the local community. All this was way ahead of its time in the early 1980’s.
Cheese making from the Jersey milk immediately sparked the interest of restaurants in London and other merchants aware of the renaissance in British artisan cheeses. A program of educational visits to see the sheep flock and frozen lamb by post was developed by Chris Murray, who went on to develop the nationally acclaimed Pennywell Farm Centre. A vineyard was planted with a range of varieties to see what could be achieved in the mild climate and steep slopes of the Dart Valley.
The Sharpham Soft Cheeses quickly established a following of adventurous chefs, and there was even a programme in Keith Floyd’s series extolling its virtues during a visit to the cheese dairy located in the old stable yard.
This has been followed by many, many, awards over the years, including several trophies in the past three years from the British Cheese Awards, the Frome Cheese Show, The New York specialty food fair, and most gratifying of all, the award for Champion Product of 1,100 food and drink entries in the Taste of the West Food Awards. Although success in London’s top restaurants was important in the early days, more cheese is now sold in Devon area than anywhere else. This fits with the family philosophy of local food for local people and the interconnectedness that Maurice Ash was so keen to establish.
The vineyard took longer to establish, and as with the cheese, the wines need to carve a reputation in London before the locals started to take them seriously. Listings were secured in top establishments including several of Terrance Conrans restaurants. The wine is still available in the Dorchester Hotel! However this is the exception rather than the rule and it is currently the case that 90% of the wine is sold within a 50 mile radius of the vineyard. The winery employs both New World and traditional techniques to best develop their unique regional characteristics.
The business is still run by the family, with Mark Sharman, Maurice Ash’s cousin, as Managing Director, and two of Maurice’s daughters as the other Directors. The company as a whole employs 6 people as cheese makers who make just 50 tonnes of cheese a year. The cheeses are very natural products, hand made using traditional techniques with no reliance on processing. The special expertise of the cheese makers at Sharpham is that for 25 years they have been consistently producing high quality artisan cheeses from the farm’s own Jersey milk. The cheeses are regular award winners and highly acclaimed by many food writers.
Sharpham‘s vineyards cover 10 acres and lie between 12m and 25m above sea level on south-facing, well-drained slopes. The sheltered position and tidal waters of the River Dart create a mild microclimate, which favours grapes, and combines well with the red shillet soils and a careful choice of grape varieties.
Vines grow rapidly from the start of Spring through to the end of July. They are pollinated by wind and therefore do not rely on insects. Flowering usually happens at the end of June. At this time of year, the summer pruning ensures that all the plant’s energy goes straight to the grapes. A sunny period in early autumn produces high quality fruit, full of sugar and flavour. Grapes ripen, depending on variety, between 80-100 days after flowering. Picking takes place on a cool, dry day. 20 pickers harvest 6 tonnes per day and Sharpham’s average yield is around 60 tonnes per year (60,000 bottles). Grapes are then de-stalked and crushed as soon as possible to preserve the wonderful aroma and fruit flavours. Fermentation takes about six weeks. After racking, the wine matures in stainless steel tanks until the following spring, when it is filtered and bottled.
Starting in 1981, the 18th century coachyard was home to the cheese dairy where their range of hand made cheeses were first produced. In April 2003 the Dairy moved into a new purpose-built dairy sited next to the winery. The building is modern and bigger but the team still employs the same traditional techniques. The cheeses remain fully hand-produced and free of GM ingredients. Visitors are able to view the process through windows as part of their visit.
You can enjoy the Sharpham experience via self-directed walks of the vineyard followed by an instructed tasting of a selection of Sharpham wines and cheese. Or, there’s a guided tour of both the vineyard and winery, together with a tasting of the Sharpham wines and cheeses. For a full experience, take the guided tour of the vineyard explaining the history and principles behind English viticulture – and a scenic river walk beside the river. In the winery, there’s a full explanation of the winemaking process, illustrated by a tutored wine tasting. To finish, a light lunch comprising local bread, Sharpham cheese and locally-grown salads and a complimentary bottle of Sharpham wine. Visit the Sharpham website for details. Please note that all visitors wishing to walk through the vineyard will need good mobility plus suitable footwear and clothing.
Don’t forget to combine your visit with lunch at the Vineyard Café. Enjoy the glorious views with freshly cooked produce. With an alfresco ambience, booking is advisable due to the limited seating undercover. Call 01803 732178.
To find Sharpham, leave the A381 Totnes to Kingsbridge road at the Ashprington turn off. Then follow brown tourist signs ‘Sharpham Vineyard’. In Ashprington turn left at the War Memorial and continue up the hill. They are 1 mile from the village.
You can arrive by boat (2 hrs +/- high tide) and by River Taxi from Totnes (call Tim on 07814 954 869). Greenway Ferries also run a series of special trips, subject to tides, departing from Dartmouth and Greenway/Dittisham. Ring 0845 489 0418 or visit www.greenwayferry.co.uk for further details. Please mention By The Dart if you visit as a result of this feature.