Is an RTD spritz the salvation of Sherry?
Louis Thomas speaks with González Byass president Mauricio González-Gordon about how the Sherry giant is trying to win a new generation of drinkers over to the Spanish fortified wine.
The issue of how Sherry, a drink which for many in the UK is synonymous with memories of what their grandmother drank at Christmas, can modernise itself has been the subject of much debate among marketeers and product developers.
Speaking with the drinks business at ProWein in Düsseldorf, González-Gordon outlined the plan: “As a family company, two of our characteristics are to be close to our consumers, and also innovative – seeing where trends are going. Traditionally, we were a Sherry house which moved into other wine regions, firstly in Spain and then elsewhere.”
“Sherry has always been important to us – it’s our origin, it’s our flagship in many ways – but today it is only part of our business,” he continued. “We realise that Sherry is not a simple category, it requires an introduction and education. Consumers who already enjoy wine tend to be the ones who go into Sherry. Considering also the trend towards lighter wines, we reckoned we needed to come up with something which was a bit simpler to appeal to the consumer, in line with current trends, but linked to Sherry at the same time.”
The Croft Twist, launched in the UK in 2020, ticks two key trend boxes. Firstly, it is a pre-mixed, ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage made of Fino Sherry with elderflower and lime cordial with a touch of mint and is available in both a 25cl can and 75cl bottle format. Secondly, it is fairly low in alcohol at 5.5% ABV – by contrast, the Croft Original Pale Cream Sherry has an alcohol content more than three times that, at 17.5%.
“Croft was very successful in the UK, but it was ageing as a brand, with older consumers – we wanted to rejuvenate it and develop the Croft Twist,” said González-Gordon. “We see a younger crowd being more conscious about lighter drinks. It’s not that far from the alcohol content of beer.”
It isn’t just in the UK that the Croft Twist has taken off, and nor is it solely popular with RTD-oriented youngsters.
“It’s growing by double digits every year, especially in Spain, where the advertising is focused. Although it is addressed to the lifestyle of the younger generation, we found out that there are other groups enjoying it, maybe leaning more towards female consumers – it’s one of the brands we’ve seen with a wider consumer base,” González-Gordon explained.
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It seems the marketing has paid off, sales of the Croft Spritz have shot up in Spain, especially on Amazon. In 2019/20, 1,655 nine litre cases (a measure equivalent to 12 75cl bottles) were sold, by 2021/22 that had risen to 8,855 nine litre cases, and as of 2023/24, it hit 35,472 – that final figure equals almost 1.3 million cans shifted.
This significant growth runs counter to the general trend of a drop in the volume of Sherry sales. According to the Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, between 2023 and 2024, domestic sales for the category as a whole dropped by 3.4% – in the European Union as a whole, that fall was 11.3%.
“It [Croft Twist] is probably aimed more at markets with a warmer climate, but we have found out that although there is some seasonality, it is not as summer-heavy as we anticipated. It’s really working well at other times.”
As well as in the UK and on Sherry’s home turf of Spain, the drink is in markets which are perhaps less associated with Fino consumption, including Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Argentina and Kenya.
Sherry shakers
The use of Sherry in mixed drinks was the subject of a recent campaign by the Consejo Regulador Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. Called ‘Grandma Was Right’, the aim of the marketing was to push the idea of using the fortified wine as an ingredient in cocktails.
González-Gordon also expressed a belief that Sherry-based mixology is an area worth investing in.
“The cocktail side is working well,” according to González-Gordon. “One reason is that many Sherries fit nicely with mixology, the very dry flavour helps. We actually have mixologists in our commercial team to promote the versatility of Sherry in cocktails through education.”
González Byass launched its own Sherry mixology competition, the Tío Pepe Challenge, in Spain in 2017. Today the cocktail contest takes place in 15 countries.
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