International Sherry Week returns

International Sherry Week returns for a second year this week, with events all over the world planned to celebrate the delights of the Spanish fortified wine.

The Sherry triangle flight at Morada Brindisa Asador

Kicking off yesterday and running until 8 November, over 1,000 Sherry-themed events are due to take place this week in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the UK and the US.

Thousands of restaurants, wine bars and shops will get into the Sherry spirit via tastings, Sherry-based cocktails and Sherry food pairing menus designed to highlight its versatility as a wine style and ability to match with an array of dishes.

Social media will play an important role during Sherry Week with two tutored tastings planned on Twitter for those keen to learn more about the wine.

The first Twitter tasting offers an introduction to Sherry and a breakdown of its different styles, while the second focuses on palo cortado.

Last year, over 2,000 Sherry Week events took place in 22 countries, with an estimated 100,000 people taking part in the celebrations, from Sherry and sushi matching to venencia pouring competitions and film screenings.

The event was widely followed online, receiving over 1,200,000 hits on Twitter, with 2,700,000 people using the hashtags #isherryweek and #isherrylover.

This year’s Twitter hashtag is simply #sherryweek, while the Instagram handle is @sherrywinesjerez. Among the 150 UK venues supporting Sherry Week are Morada Brindisa Asador in Soho, which has created a Sherry triangle tasting flight with matching tapas for £8.

Taking a Sherry from each of the three key districts, La Ina Fino is paired with jamon Ibérico; while Hidalgo Abocado Alameda is matched with Manchego; and La Guita Manzanilla with Gordal olives stuffed with oregano and orange.

Hanging Ditch in Manchester will be running an informal drop in session on 8 November where customers can taste through all of the major Sherry styles. Tickets cost £10 and the event runs from 2-8pm. Details of other events taking place during Sherry Week can be found at Sherry.org.