The magic of Sherry!

Within the space of three weeks I had the privilege to be involved in four brilliant events around the delicious wines of the Jerez region.

Firstly, I attended the Great Sherry Tasting in London with some superb master classes.  Then I flew to Jerez, by kind invitation of Gonzalez-Byass to take part in the selection of the sensational Palmas range alongside the very talented winemaker Antonio Flores and, from the family, the charming Pedro González.  I followed that by taking part in three days studying on the Sherry Educator Course, which was so informative and impeccably organised thanks to both César Saldaňa and Beltrán Domecq. Finally a few days later and back in London, I was one of the judges at the Copa Jerez competition organised by Angeline Bayly who is the director of ‘Sherry Wines’ in the UK. 

This intense and much enjoyable focus, centred around Sherry, reminded me not only how exceptional these fortified wines are, but also how occasionally they don’t always receive the recognition they deserve, starting in their home country.  When en route to Jerez I found myself at Madrid Airport around lunch time with a few hours to kill waiting for my corresponding flight to Jerez.  Strolling inside the airport I saw what looked like a fairly new bar/restaurant specialising in tapas.  Already in the mood and in anticipation of my Jerez trip I ordered a small selection of tapas and a glass of Fino. The barmen were certainly friendly but they could only give me a blank look as they did not have a clue what a Fino was and I could not see any Sherry of any sort advertised on their short bar/wine list either - what a missed opportunity! 

Wine education is extremely important.  It gives sommeliers or retailers the ability to suggest wines with great confidence to their customers, as well as to transmit, with real emotion, their passion for the wines they are selling.

In addition, they often become wine ambassadors for life and it is not difficult to become a Sherry Ambassador as there is so much to talk about and enjoy from Sherry. 

‘Sherry Wines/Vinos de Jerez’ the body in charge of the promotion and education for the wines of the region, has done a great job on that aspect with all sorts of initiatives such as tastings, seminars, master classes, courses and competitions and the results are certainly there to be seen.  Indeed, more and more restaurateurs and sommeliers have become great advocates of these stunning wines in the last few years.  In fact, at the recent Grand Sherry Tasting, I even saw a few sommeliers who are working in Europe, having made the trip to London solely to learn more about Sherry.  These great promotional/educational activities, coupled with interesting initiatives (En Rama, Pago and Anada, becoming more talked about) from many of the Sherry producers in recent years, have generated renewed interest around Sherry with blogs, Twitter accounts from obviously highly passionate Sherry lovers dedicated only to the wines of Sherry and more articles written in the press about it.  The book by Talia Baiocchi ‘SHERRY A Modern Guide To The Wine World’s Best-Kept Secret’, published in 2015, captures well the revitalized mood in the Jerez region and certainly makes you want to drink more of this fascinating wine.