This year's Sherry Week, held from November 6-12, was another major success. Many thousands of Sherry lovers and foodies celebrated these diverse wines at a total of 3,129 events across 28 countries. A 45% increase over last year represents the most events ever registered on the Sherry Week world map.
Over the past nine years, Sherry Week has seen more than 21,000 events held across 40 countries. Sherry Week takes place under the auspices of the D.O. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry.
SOCIAL MEDIA ROLE
Social Media played a pivotal role in amplifying the enthusiasm, with Instagram Reels gaining exceptional popularity this year. These reels showcased educational Sherry tasting videos, step-by-step guides for crafting Sherry cocktails, and an exploration of Sherry vocabulary.
In total, Sherry Week achieved an impressive 1.4 million reach across global Social Media platforms*, accompanied by 26,000 interactions (likes, comments, shares, saves) on any content tagged #sherryweek
*Source Brand24
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
The spotlight of this year's events was on the new Sherry Rutas, capturing the interest of epicureans worldwide. These routes guided Sherry enthusiasts through bars, restaurants, and wine stores, offering cocktails, pairings, and tastings along the way.
The starting lineup included renowned cities from the UK, US, and Spain, as well as Sao Paolo, Tokyo, and Sydney. As the concept expanded across the Americas to encompass San Diego, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires, each city crafted its unique Sherry Ruta. In total, 17 cities warmly welcomed Sherry aficionados to explore their curated routes.
UNITED KINGDOM:
The United Kingdom witnessed an impressive turnout with over 772 daily registered events, including Sherry Rutas in London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff. This marked a record-breaking number of events in the history of Sherry Week. Additionally, more than 250 wine shops across the UK conducted in-store tastings throughout the week.
Carmen Aumesquet, Promotions Director of the D.O. Jerez, led three sold-out guided tastings at Booths gourmet supermarkets in Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. She then hosted private consumer tastings in London at Waitrose stores in Oxford Street and Kings Cross, impressing crowds with the classic Cream served with ice and a slice of orange.
BRAZIL:
Brazil saw a significant surge in Sherry Week participation, hosting a total of 367 registered events.
The first Brazilian Sherry Fest, a collaborative effort with nine brands and seven importers, sold out its 150 entry tickets. Gabriele Frizon's online Mega Aulão de Jerez, reaching people nationwide, distributed 120 tasting kits and conducted a 3-hour online class.
CHINA:
Chef Borja Sanchez presented a 10-course Andalucia-inspired dinner paired with 11 rare Sherry wines at Ura restaurant in Shanghai on Nov 6. Due to its success, the dinner continued throughout the week with 10 courses and 8 Sherries.
Meanwhile, Christian Bungard, Export Manager of Bodegas Barbadillo, participated in a dinner at the Royal China Club in Shanghai, engaging with bartenders, Spanish wine bar and restaurant owners, and event organizers.
In Beijing, the renowned Old Fashioned Bar, led by mixologist Shirakawa San, introduced the city's first Sherry Cocktail menu during Sherry Week. Featuring six cocktails crafted with five Sherry wines, this menu is set to delight cocktail enthusiasts in Beijing.
JAPAN:
The Tokyo Sherry Route for this year featured a Sherry Tasting Set, including various types of Sherry and Sherry cask-aged whisky, along with Sherry Cocktails at authentic bars. In Shibuya, Tokyo, Bar Adonis celebrated Sherry Week's 10th anniversary by serving 10 signature Sherry-based cocktails.
USA:
The highlight in New York was the Feria en Rama at Hotel Chelsea, drawing over 200 attendees and featuring 30 producers. Notably, nine producers traveled from Jerez to personally present their wines. In Washington, the Mini Sherry Feria at the Gibson was another sold-out success, offering sherry flights, rebujitos, and venencia pourings.
SPAIN:
In Madrid, Luis, the owner of Bar Lambuzo, brought a taste of Cádiz to the city with a Sherry-paired tasting menu. Meanwhile, cocktail bars Vendittas, Viva Madrid, Santos y Desamparados, and 1862 Dry Bar demonstrated once again how Sherry wine is a perfect option to give a distinct personality to cocktails.
In Seville this year, tastings focused on discovering the versatility of the Manzanilla D.O., including Lama La Uva, with a tasting of different Manzanillas to show their evolution over the ageing period. Vinoteca Narbona Solis also held a tasting dedicated only to Manzanilla.
Palo Cortado Restaurant at the Brummell Hotel in Barcelona saw its cocktail bar transformed into a Sherry Bar in the purest Jerez tabanco style, offering a personalised menu for pairing all styles of Sherry wines during Sherry Week, such as tapas of chicharrones (pork rinds) with unfiltered Fino en Rama.
In Jerez itself, La Carboná celebrated Sherry Week with a very special event where the chef Owen Morgan, owner of Bar 44 Group, travelled to Jerez with his team to prepare a four-hands dinner together with the chef and owner of La Carboná, Javier Muñoz. The event was sponsored by Gonzalez Byass, who provided the Sherry wines to accompany this innovative and creative menu. Silvia Flores, oenologist at Gonzalez Byass, introduced all the wines.
"In the triumphant 10th edition of Sherry Week, I was delighted to see how the strong appreciation for our diverse family of wines has continued to grow, reaching a global dimension, with markets worldwide sharing the Sherry joy. The diversity of events was matched only by the diversity of the wines, and the digital presence of the Sherry community is always dynamic and vibrant," says Cesar Saldaña, President of the DO Jerez.
