Discover the untapped potential of Sherry

Sherry’s versatility and complexity is much underrated. Here, db reveals why wine retailers should get involved in celebrating it much more.

Sherry is the ideal drink for a rich variety of dishes and flavours, making it a favourite of chefs thanks to its versatility from sweet to dry styles.

The range of sherry aromas, spanning from almond, to caramel, to fresh apples, help amplify the flavours of many cuisines. From seafood to indulgent meat dishes, ripe cheeses, or sweet pastries, Sherry can elevate any gastronomic experience and revive your taste buds.

Understanding more about the versatility food matching potential of sherry is the gateway to appreciating the nuance of these uniquely produced wines. A chilled glass of fino or manzanilla with a plate of olive and slices of manchego is perfection, but did you think to match fino and sushi?

En rama, essentially unfiltered Sherry, that replicates tasting sherry straight from the barrel is an inspired wine match for traditional fish and chips. The yeasty notes of time aged under a layer of “flor” pairs particularly well with sourdough pizza. Amontillado is good for hard to pair dishes like asparagus and aubergine and is also a good bet for spicy food like Thai or Vietnamese as the complexity stands up to the heat.

The 11th edition of Sherry Week takes place on 4-10 November in more than 30 countries and it’s a great time to get involved to reconsider sherry for all of its qualities and really explore the category.

Last year’s Sherry Week alone saw more than 3,000 events take place internationally, from the Spanish heartland of Sherry, Jerez, to London, São Paulo, Tokyo, New York, Buenos Aires and Sydney.

Business owners from restaurateurs to bottle shop managers can now register their own sherry events, popups and masterclasses free of charge and become a part of the movement by using the hashtag #SherryWeek.

To create a Sherry Ruta, bar, retail or restaurant businesses just need more than 10 venues to take part and can register online. Or if there are already events happening around Sherry in the neighbourhood, firms can simply upload their event, and it will appear and be searchable on the Sherry Week map and receive #SherryWeek social media support, extensive promotion and free access to downloadable tasting mats, pairing guides and marketing materials to boost presence during the week.

In addition, there are Sherry Week merchandise kits available for 150 venues in the UK to support them in their promotion of Sherry Week, there are also set to be incentives to register each event before 27 September. Plus, there is the chance for three venues to benefit from a guided online masterclass with the president of the DO Jerez, Cesar Saldana. Information about this is can be found here.

This year, independent wine stores across the UK have even more reason to get involved with a competition involving the top four participating stores being in with a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Jerez in 2025 for a truly immersive experience in the region. The trip includes exclusive VIP visits to three bodegas, a Michelin-starred pairing experience and luxury accommodation for two nights.