Duncan Makes Master Winemakers Top 100 2024!

We're extremely excited and proud to announce that our head winemaker and CEO, Duncan Schwab, has been included in the Master Winemakers Top 100 2024! This is a huge accolade, cementing Duncan as not only one of the UK's, but the world's most respected winemakers. He is amongst great company, rubbing shoulders with other prolific winemakers from producers such as Möet in Champagne, Banfi in Tuscany, Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley, Australia and Bodegas Faustino in Rioja.

It was the Master Medal for our Sandridge Barton Blancs de Noir 2020 which initially put Duncan on the radar for this new award. A wine which received one of only five international Master Medals awarded for a sparkling wine.

Here's an interview with Duncan that was published in the awards book.

Born in Nairobi, then brought up between Lebanon and Cornwall, Duncan Schwab has now settled on the edge of Dartmoor, where he lives with his wife and three children. Driven by his father's advice to find a job he loved, Schwab gave up a career in surveying and property management at the age of 26 to follow his passion for vines and wine. This love had been fuelled as a teenager, when he helped to plant a family vineyard near Fowey, on the south coast of Cornwall. Schwab moved to Sharpham Winery in 1992 and has since helped to drive major expansion of both the output and the reputation of this Devon producer. Many of Sharpham's grapes came from the Sandridge Barton vineyards - and it is here, on the opposite side of the River Dart, that the company has now relocated operations.

Describe your winemaking approach in no more than three words. - Minimal intervention.

What's your favourite part of the job? - Blending, tasting and seeing the joy of others drinking our wines.

Which aspect of the job keeps you awake at night? - The thought of having left a sample tap open.

What's your go-to-drink at the end of a long day? - Whisky

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? - Find a career you enjoy doing and do it well.

What was your greatest winemaking mistake? - The must pump overflowed with red wine onto the electrical lead and the power in the winery went out. I was left in the pitch dark on my own at 3am with my shoulder firmly pressed against the door of the 2,000- litre red wine fermenting tank I’d opened without fully draining all the wine out first. The door bolt had fallen into the must pump and jammed the auger, which meant there was no means of shutting the door of the tank. If I’d left to go and turn the power back on and find a solution to shutting the door, I would have lost the lot. Our old press was within reach and I managed to feel for a door rod in the pitch dark that amazingly fitted the hole for the tank door and allowed me close the door and draw breath. I ended up losing 300 litres, which for a small winery was still a big loss, but not as bad as it might have been!

What's the most important winemaking lesson you've learned so far? - Trust in your winemaking team. There is no one winemaker, but rather you are all part of a collective. Listen to the people around you and listen carefully to opinions and thoughts throughout the process, from reception of grapes to blending and bottling, and life in general. Laugh and play music often.

What figure outside the world of wine inspires you? - Nelson Mandela

Where would your fantasy vineyard be? - Somewhere close to a sandy beach, with a mountain backdrop and a cool climate.

If you weren't a winemaker, what would you be doing and why? - A bar owner with an eclectic mix of fantastic wines, which I and my customers would enjoy. I’d select wines from source and encourage music, with jamming sessions inspired by Gaelic folk music.

What's the most memorable food match you've had with one of your wines? - Lobster and chips with our Estate Selection.

What role does sustainability have to play in a Master-winning wine? - Everything. I don’t profess to have arrived at where we want to be in the vineyard: we have wildflower meadows, trial sites and are introducing animals, but there is always more we can do. We have a goal and a mission, which we are focused on achieving. Our winery is very eco-friendly, with rainwater harvesting, solar panels and water extraction from a nearby stream. We treat all waste on site, including winery waste in our bio-bubble aerobic digester, before returning it to the stream on a closed circuit.

Which type of wine do you drink most regularly? - Natural wines that are alive and unadulterated.

Your home is on fire: which bottle do you save? - My bottle of whisky.