Sharpham to double output as part of expansion plans

By Lisa Riley

Published: 23 February, 2021

Sharpham Wine has announced plans to increase its output from 60,000 bottles to 120,000 per year.

The announcement follows on from the English producer relocation to the Sandridge Barton Estate in South Devon last Autumn, with 1,500 Chardonnay, 5,000 Pinot Noir and 500 Pinot Meunier vines being planted this spring.

In addition, Sharpham said there would be “further major investment” in new winery equipment and a visitor centre, due to open in March 2022.

With the new investment and new state-of-the-art winery, Sharpham added that it was now in a position to “further help put high quality English wines on the world map”.

Duncan Schwab, CEO and head winemaker, 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.”

The new planting would enable Sharpham to produce more still wines and particularly expand upon its red wine production, which has been one of its top selling wines over recent years, it said.

“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,” said Schwab.

At the Wine GB Awards 2020, Sharpham won golds for its Pinot Noir and its 2019 Bacchus Stop-Ferment.