DON`T FEED THE PONIES
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
SANDRIDGE BARTON WINES
Devon, UK
A SPONTANEOUS VISIT TO SANDRIDGE BARTON
When visiting Dad down in deepest Devon, daily outings always include “the odd” stop at a seaside café offering Cornish Pasties and clotted-cream ice-cream for pud, or a meal at a picturesque pub in the middle of nowhere.
Such moments on the lips guarantee a lifetime on the hips but are highly enjoyable.
This year, a spontaneous visit extended our present itinerary to include English Wine.
Now if you`ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Devon – particularly in the holiday season - you`ll know that many of the roads there are not for the faint of heart – nor are they built for motorhomes. Off the beaten track though, lies an undiscovered landscape of hidden gems and once you`ve met and manouvered your first herd of cows and accepted that course-bracken hedgerows can scratch your paintwork, you might just be rewarded with an unexpected winery such as Sandridge Barton Wines.
You can blab on as much as you like about "English Wines having been suddenly discovered" but we have actually been producing good wine for decades longer than you think and we also created champagne - long before Dom Perignon even grew into his vineyard wellies.
The original business was founded in the 1980`s when Ruth and Maurice Ash – owners of the Sharpham Estate on the River Dart - began experimenting with vines. Up until then, they`d been making cheese from a herd of Jersey cows brought in from Essex (apparently on a train!) having acquired the estate twenty years previously.
Their first successful planting was Madeleine Angevine but today, the estate varieties include Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Bacchus and Chardonnay - oh, and Sauvignon Blanc. The winery has since re-located from one side of the river to tother – just three kilometres downriver where at Sandridge Barton, Head Winemaker Duncan Schwab is now responsible for the wine portfolio.
The Sandridge Barton vineyard - planted in 2008 - now produces over 80 tonnes of grapes a year and on 32 acres of land. The Dairy is still located on the Sharpham Estate and is run by Greg Parsons who continues to produce award-winning cow and goat cheese. I caught up with Greg just last year at the Tavistock Cheese Fair whilst working on a Cheese & Port Wine Project in England. I highly recommend Greg`s fayre, particularly the Sharpham Dairy`s Washbourne which I have already written about here.
The wines produced at Sandridge Barton are what the estate itself calls “wild-fermented and site-driven”. Their minimalistic approach combined with a climate largely influenced by its’ proximity to water, produces unique, honest wines of character. The cool, lengthy growing season and sandy loam topsoil which sits mainly on volcanic tuff with a few pockets of limestone and slate, provide ideal growing conditions for the broad variety of wines produced at the estate.
The bedrock of the area boasts a wonderful deep reddish colour and is particularly impressive when visiting the nearby coast.
The young lady who welcomed us was informative and highly knowledgeable and kindly presented four wines for me to taste – a choice which I was able to make myself:
I spontaneously chose the following wines (from right to left):
1. Sandridge Barton Dart Valley Reserve 2023
Pale yellow in the glass, a blend of Madeleine Angevine, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with natural grape aromas and even a hint of honey. A sharp, dry mouthfeel – predominantly ripe stone fruit, pear and lemon zest on the palate. Light bodied with a short finish.
£14.95
2. Don't Feed the Ponies Little Bee 2025
A low intervention range, where fermentation is monitored rather than controlled. The name relates to a campaign highlighting the dangers of feeding wild Dartmoor ponies and each wine is named after one of Dartmoor’s many Tors.
Super salmon pink in the glass – yet unfiltered hence somewhat cloudy.
Skin contact and spontaneous fermentation lend this 100% Pinot Gris both complexity and flavour.
Red fruit on the palate – strawberry, raspberry – and a touch of ripe apricot. Relatively acidic with good body and length. For orange wine fans, a great British option.
£23.00
3. Sandridge Barton East Field Pinot Gris 2024
A pale yellow in colour with subtle green-fruit aromas on the nose. Lees contact and a short period in oak lend texture to the fruity flavours of green apple and pear. Another minimal intervention dry white with a clear sharp edge – and almost flinty finish. A good pairing wine for seafood and fresh fruit.
£26.00
4. Sandridge Barton Bacchus 'Stop Ferment' 2025
An off-dry Bacchus – thanks to manually shortened period of fermentation, a white wine with a full body and great fruity mouthfeel. Floral aromatics – elderflower and exotic fruit – mango and passion fruit - on the palate.
Fresh, zesty and well balanced with the pleasant residual sweetness. Of the chosen four wines, this was my favourite and probably best suited to a broader audience than the previous three.
£24.00
Sandridge Barton is certainly well worth a visit and not only for their wines which are of clarity, purpose and expression.
Onsite, a small shop offers local products – including Greg`s Sharpham Cheeses - and an attractive restaurant – ROAM – which I unfortunately didn`t have time to test – but which looks very inviting.
Also available are pre-booked wine tastings and tours of the premises so make sure you check out the homepage in advance if possible.
However, as you see, you may simply pop in if in the area and should you like to stay longer, three holiday properties (including the riverside house pictured below) are also available for a longer and surely extremely enjoyable stay.
Many thanks to the whole Team for the warm and friendly welcome.
For more information check out their homepage here:
Lower Well Farm
Waddeton Road
Stoke Gabriel
Devon
United Kingdom
TQ9 6RL
Enquiries: info@sandridgebarton.com
Footnote:
I`ve just seen Sandridge Barton are on the lookout for a Tasting Room Host - a passionate and enthusiastic hospitality professional to join their front of house team - to serve and sell their wines and to lead tours and tastings at their winery visitor attraction.
What a dream job in such a superb location. Perhaps I should apply... ;-)
