Sharpham enjoys a Royal tipple

During the scorching hot day at the Taste of the West Food Fair on the Green on Tuesday 19th July, Sharpham Wine and Cheese were amongst 60 Gold Award winners lucky enough to meet TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

Celebrating 25 years of success, Taste of the West invited Prince Charles, in his capacity as Patron, to meet a selection of Gold Award winners from the Taste of the West Awards.  Both Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visited the Sharpham stand, where managing director Mark Sharman talked them through the cheese and wine ranges on sale, and the Prince of Wales accepted a taste of their Sharpham Pinot Noir 2013, whilst the Duchess tasted their Sharpham Rustic cheese.

Talking about the day, Mark says: “Prince Charles is a keen advocate of rural food businesses, so it was superb to get the chance to showcase our products to him, and he was very complimentary when tasting our Pinot Noir.” Mark continues: “Prince Charles is also patron of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is president of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA), having two hugely influential figures try our products is amazing for Sharpham.”

The Food Fair on the Green, held on the Cathedral Green in Exeter, was a display of over 60 Gold Taste of the West Award winners, exhibiting their products amongst many others. Sharpham Wine and Cheese, winners of a Gold Award for both their Sharpham Barrel Fermented and Sharpham Sparkling Blanc, were amongst the stand holders to introduce Prince Charles to their products.

2016 has been a prosperous year so far for Sharpham Wine and Cheese, who have already been awarded two Silvers at the International Wine Challenge, for their Sharpham Sparkling Blanc and Sharpham Sparkling Reserve. At the English and Welsh Wine of the Year Awards, Sharpham Wines were awarded seven Silvers and one Gold for their Sharpham Bacchus 2015.

Not only are their wines raking in the awards, their delicious cheese range has had just as much success. New for 2016, the Sharpham Washbourne, a washed curd cheese made using sheep milk, has already received highly sought after accolades, including Gold in the Taste of the West Awards and Gold at the British Cheese Awards.

Also at the Taste of the West Awards, Sharpham was awarded Gold for its Sharpham, an unpasteurised Coulommiers type cheese, which has been handmade in the Creamery using Jersey milk to their own recipe since 1980.  The Sharpham Elmhirst, a creamy cheese with a surprisingly light and silky texture with a white and bloomy rind, received a Gold, whilst their Sharpham Ticklemore Goats cheese was awarded a Silver.

At the British Cheese awards, held at the end of May, Sharpham was awarded five Gold Awards for their Sharpham Plain Rustic, Sharpham Rustic Chive and Garlic, Sharpham Ticklemore Goat, Sharpham Washbourne with Caraway and the Sharpham Washbourne. The two silvers were awarded to the Sharpham Savour and Sharpham cheese.

Sharpham Vineyard is located on the Sharpham Estate, near Totnes in South Devon (TQ9 7UT).  For directions visit http://www.sharpham.com/contact-us/.

Wines and cheeses from the Sharpham range are available online at www.sharpham.com and in delis and independent stores across the UK.   Follow Sharpham on Twitter @SharphamWines and @SharphamCheese.