Workshop
Fabric wreath workshop
Make a fabric and ribbon wreath, with a hot drink and a flight of four estate wines included. No experience needed.
Saturday 14 November 2026 · From 10am · £45 · Book ahead
Home / Vineyards / Devon / Sandridge Barton
Vineyard guide · Stoke Gabriel
Visiting Sandridge Barton
Sandridge Barton is where the Sharpham wines are made now, on south-facing slopes running down to the River Dart just south of Stoke Gabriel. There’s a winery and visitor centre, ROAM restaurant, a walking trail up to the newest vineyard and three holiday houses. Book the guided tasting, and go Thursday to Sunday, as earlier in the week is by appointment.
Sandridge Barton at a glance
| Founded | Sharpham’s first vineyard planted 1981; Sandridge Barton vineyard planted 2008; first harvest in the new winery 2020 |
|---|---|
| Known for | The Sharpham wines, Madeleine Angevine above all, plus Sharpham cheese |
| Grapes | Madeleine Angevine, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir Précoce |
| Open | Thursday and Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 8pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Monday to Wednesday by appointment only |
| Booking | Guided tastings and the Vineyard Safari are booked online; self-guided tastings are booked through the tasting flight calendar. Private group tours can be arranged |
| Tours from | £15 |
| Food | ROAM restaurant serves lunch Thursday to Sunday, 12pm to 4pm, booked through its own website |
| Dogs | Welcome on a lead, including on tours and tastings; there is working livestock on the estate |
| Children | Under-18s can come to tastings but cannot drink. The self-guided tasting is suggested for families, and there’s a nature trail booklet for children |
| Stay | Sandridge Barton House (sleeps 12), Lower Well Farmhouse (sleeps 8) and The Boathouse, a two-bedroom house on the Dart |
| By train | Totnes or Paignton, each about 5 miles away |
Checked on the vineyard’s own website in November 2026.
About Sandridge Barton
Sharpham wine started on the other side of the Dart. Maurice and Ruth Ash bought the Sharpham Estate in the 1960s and began with cheese, from Jersey cows brought down from Essex by train.
In 1981 they trialled thirteen grape varieties, and Madeleine Angevine did best, so the first vineyard was planted with it. The first wines came out in the late 1980s, and Dart Valley Reserve became the Co-op’s own-label English wine.
Duncan Schwab joined in the vineyard in 1992 and moved into winemaking, and he is now chief executive and wine director, with Charlie Brown as head winemaker. In the mid-2000s Sandridge Barton, which was planting its own vineyard across the river, asked Sharpham to buy its fruit.
The whole business later moved over the Dart, built a new winery, and brought in its first harvest there in 2020. The visitor centre opened in June 2022, and the original Sharpham vineyard is no longer planted.
There are three vineyards now. The main Sandridge Barton vineyard went in in 2008, about 32 acres of sandy loam over volcanic rock with pockets of limestone and slate.
Stonyfield, eight acres on raised limestone, was planted in 2021 with Champagne and Burgundy clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, and Reservoir Field followed in 2023. No pesticides or herbicides are used, and the winery runs on solar power.
The wines
Madeleine Angevine is the grape Sharpham was built on, and the East Field Madeleine Angevine is the place to start. Dart Valley Reserve, the old Co-op favourite, is still made and still under £15.
The East Field range covers single varieties, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc among them, and the sparkling side runs from Classic Cuvée to a Blanc de Blancs and a Blanc de Noirs. For something less expected, the Don’t Feed the Ponies range includes a nouveau red and a cider. Where to buy them.
Tours and tastings at Sandridge Barton
Thursday to Sunday is when to come, since the rest of the week is by appointment, and Saturday is the late night, open until 8pm.
We’d book the guided tasting: an hour, three wines, the winery and some Sharpham cheese is good value, and it fills up. The Vineyard Safari is the one to pick if you want to get out into the vines.
Leave time for the walking trail, about 1.5km through woodland up to Stonyfield, which takes 20 to 35 minutes and has steep, muddy stretches, so wear proper shoes. Dogs are welcome, but keep them on the lead as there are animals about. ROAM only does lunch, so plan a tasting around it.
| Experience | Price | Length | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Guided Wine Tasting Taste the wines at your own pace in the visitor centre. The estate suggests this one for families with children. | £15 per person | An hour’s slot, which can be extended if there is space | During opening hours, booked through the tasting flight calendar |
| Guided Tasting A guided tasting of three wines with a tour of the winery and a taste of cheese. Up to 14 people. | £25 per person | About 1 hour | Booked ahead online |
| Vineyard Safari Takes you from the vineyard to the winery, with tasting included, for the full picture of how the wines are made. | £55 per person | About 2 hours | Booked ahead online |
Book these on the Sandridge Barton website.
What’s on
Coming up at the vineyard, from its own website. All vineyard events.
Music and social
Devon Nouveau bar party
A party to mark the new 2026 vintage, with a DJ, French-style food and a free glass of wine on arrival.
Friday 20 November 2026 · 6pm to 11pm · £8 entry · Book ahead
Food and wine
Devon Nouveau winery tour and dinner
A winery tour with tank tastings and a look at the 2026 harvest, followed by a French-style dinner in the restaurant. Wine is extra.
Friday 20 November 2026 · From 6pm · £65 · Book ahead
Christmas
Christmas wreath workshop
Make a wreath on a hoop from festive foliage, mostly gathered on the estate. Materials and tools are provided.
Sunday 29 November, morning and afternoon sessions · 10am or 2pm · £60 · Book ahead
Tasting
Festive fizz night
An evening tasting the estate’s sparkling wines, with the team explaining at the table how each is made.
Friday 18 December 2026 · From 6pm · £16 · Book ahead
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Buy Sandridge Barton wines
None of our wine partners has these wines in stock this week. The vineyard sells them in its own shop, or see our pick of English wines to buy online.
Getting there
Totnes and Paignton are the nearest stations, each about 5 miles away on the main line from London Paddington. From either, the Gold bus runs to The Parkers Arms, where you change to the 125 and get off at Four Cross Lanes, 0.6 miles from the estate. A taxi is simpler.
On foot from Stoke Gabriel it is less than a mile: take the footpath from the creek past Millpool to Byter Mill Lane, turn right at the bridge and walk up the road to the walkers’ entrance. You cannot arrive by boat; the nearest public quay is at Stoke Gabriel. There is parking in the barn on site.
Make a day of it
Stoke Gabriel, a riverside village on the Dart, is under a mile’s walk away. Totnes is the nearest town.
See every vineyard you can visit in our Devon directory. Our other Devon vineyard guides: Lyme Bay, Swanaford, Lympstone Manor.
Questions people ask
Can I bring children?
Yes. Under-18s can come to tastings but cannot drink, and the estate suggests the self-guided tasting for families. There’s a nature trail booklet, a den-building clearing in the woods and brass rubbing posts along the walking trail.
Can I get there by boat?
Not directly. The nearest public quay is at Stoke Gabriel, about a mile’s walk away along a footpath.
Is it open on Mondays?
Only by appointment. Monday to Wednesday visits have to be arranged in advance; the visitor centre opens to everyone Thursday to Sunday.