Sharpham

English wine has been getting better and better over the last few years, although it's still sneered at by our garlicy cousins across the channel. I know the Camel Valley wine is probably the best in the country, but the Sharpham wine does give it a run for it's money. I'm definitely biased towards Sharpham, as I grew up in Totnes and spent many days on the river Dart where the vineyard is based.

Last weekend the lady and I walked up to the vineyard for a spot of lunch and a few glasses of wine. Attached to the winery is The Vineyard Café, the food we ordered wasn't great, but it'd be unfair for me to judge it, as we only had a cheese platter. Instead, I would recommend buying some cheese from the counter at the wine shop, along with a bottle of wine, of course, and bring some bread and have your own picnic in a field on the walk back. Remember to bring a knife, I can recommend the Opinel (they do one with a corkscrew which may come in handy).


The wine I would suggest is the Bacchus, Sharpham also make exceptional cheese in a creamery next to the winery, using milk from organically farmed Jersey cows, and the best cheese is probably the brie.

It is also good fun to swing via Sharpham on your way to the beach in a red VW Polo fully loaded with firewood and camping gear, make sure there is enough weight in the car so the exhaust scraps over every bump, otherwise it's no fun. Buy some cold Bacchus and cheese from the wine shop and jump back in the car. Proceed to swig wine from the bottle whist making cheese sandwiches on the dashboard, holding a really sharp knife. So much fun.