Totally agree, Henry. As an ex marketing director in the drinks trade, the whole pairing scene disappears into its own vacuous non-commercial navel. Like any normal person who happens to like the flavours of sherry, I love a chilly Manzanilla with salted almonds as an aperitif when I remember to buy a bottle (usually as an ingredient for a meal) and an oloroso after food if I have any lying about which I usually don't.
It remains an afterthought drink which desperately needs context and I see dark spirits drinkers as the perfect audience. That market is massive, potentially interested in researching specific flavours and so on and so forth.
I think the problem with Sherry is Sherry. When that word covers some of the palest, driest wines in the world to some of the darkest sweetest wines in the world how can we use just one word to describe them. If I was in charge of marketing for the DO (which as someone with no marketing training, experience or expertise is mercifully unlikely to happen) I would focus on marketing the individual styles, starting with fino/manzanilla.
I do like a sherry now and again, but I have two problems with it. 1) The memories of parents/grandparents drinking Harveys Bristol Cream and the “fusty” image that brings to mind of “sherry”, although Ido realise there is now a good selection of very good sherrys available. 2) The fact that it is so hard to buy a half bottle. I would buy much more if halves were more easily available as it is much easier to get through a half before it spoils than it is a bottle.
Funnily enough most people when they try HBC for the first time find it delicious - because it really is. Halves are available, the Morrisons sherries I recommended last week were in halves and I've just bought some Williams & Humbert 12 year old Amontillado in halves. Barbadillo manzanilla comes in halves. This year's En Rama is particularly good: https://www.vinvm.co.uk/barbadillo-manzanilla-pasada-en-rama-de-la-pastora-nv-half-bottle
I would not enjoy a meal if I was served a different 20% Sherry with each course. I would be sick. I know Sherry is hard to sell in America (at least in the Midwest). We have some great ones at the wine shop I work at and we may move 2-3 every few months, more so this time of year. I think a lot is people here don’t know what it tastes like and wine shops never do Sherry tastings… I think more tastings for the customers, not wine industry folks, should be a focus here at least. I love the idea of focusing on the whiskey drinkers- I think that is spot on. And the natural wine crowd, not sure, I’ve never been cool enough to hang with them here, but I can see it.
I distinctly remember being taken by my parents to a carousel Yates Wine Lodge in Blackpool and drinking schooners of Australian sherry and eating hot lamb buns..I am sure I was underage and arrived later at a brilliant Tommy Cooper show which was fuelled by whisky which was great fun.
i have a great fondness for sherry. i have fino, amontillado, and PX on hand most of the time... all sourced, coff!, from NE Victoria (so not sherry at all, then... coff!). i can do a nice sipping glass, but i'd not want to drink it, esp. the fino, with a meal. drinks wise it makes a damned fine replacement for vermouth in a negroni and can give a really very interesting woodiness to the whole drink.
interestingly, a tapas joint a few doors away, is doing a "tapas and sherry" matching week next week. a list of tapas and the sherry to pair with. i think it'll go down a hoot! hopefully get some people drinking sherry, as well. of course, at home i will continue to drink apera... actually another great article on sherry here: https://www.danmurphys.com.au/dans-daily/learn/an-in-depth-guide-to-sherry
Good piece, Henry. For my piece in similar territory earlier this year I drilled down into the sales figures and they’re even worse than the headline numbers suggest: the composition of sherry imports to the UK is still much the same as 40 years ago, ie large majority cream sherry. And the aged sherries are a tiny sliver of a shrinking market - even though I love them https://aviewfrommytable.substack.com/p/can-sherry-ever-become-cool-again
Totally agree, Henry. As an ex marketing director in the drinks trade, the whole pairing scene disappears into its own vacuous non-commercial navel. Like any normal person who happens to like the flavours of sherry, I love a chilly Manzanilla with salted almonds as an aperitif when I remember to buy a bottle (usually as an ingredient for a meal) and an oloroso after food if I have any lying about which I usually don't.
It remains an afterthought drink which desperately needs context and I see dark spirits drinkers as the perfect audience. That market is massive, potentially interested in researching specific flavours and so on and so forth.
"the whole pairing scene disappears into its own vacuous non-commercial navel." Ha ha! Going to use that quote.
Headed to a Madeira & Allsops Ale tasting menu night this coming Monday @ The Blue Stoops (new pub) in W8. Similar hypothesis!
Ah Let me know how it goes. I was invited but couldn't make it.
Aah! A shame! Food was excellent. And my pals and I loved the Madeira. Basically, have never tried it in any proper sense.
I think the problem with Sherry is Sherry. When that word covers some of the palest, driest wines in the world to some of the darkest sweetest wines in the world how can we use just one word to describe them. If I was in charge of marketing for the DO (which as someone with no marketing training, experience or expertise is mercifully unlikely to happen) I would focus on marketing the individual styles, starting with fino/manzanilla.
That's exactly what they said at the event.
I do like a sherry now and again, but I have two problems with it. 1) The memories of parents/grandparents drinking Harveys Bristol Cream and the “fusty” image that brings to mind of “sherry”, although Ido realise there is now a good selection of very good sherrys available. 2) The fact that it is so hard to buy a half bottle. I would buy much more if halves were more easily available as it is much easier to get through a half before it spoils than it is a bottle.
Funnily enough most people when they try HBC for the first time find it delicious - because it really is. Halves are available, the Morrisons sherries I recommended last week were in halves and I've just bought some Williams & Humbert 12 year old Amontillado in halves. Barbadillo manzanilla comes in halves. This year's En Rama is particularly good: https://www.vinvm.co.uk/barbadillo-manzanilla-pasada-en-rama-de-la-pastora-nv-half-bottle
I would not enjoy a meal if I was served a different 20% Sherry with each course. I would be sick. I know Sherry is hard to sell in America (at least in the Midwest). We have some great ones at the wine shop I work at and we may move 2-3 every few months, more so this time of year. I think a lot is people here don’t know what it tastes like and wine shops never do Sherry tastings… I think more tastings for the customers, not wine industry folks, should be a focus here at least. I love the idea of focusing on the whiskey drinkers- I think that is spot on. And the natural wine crowd, not sure, I’ve never been cool enough to hang with them here, but I can see it.
It was too much! Funnily enough the kind of sherry most non-sherry drinkers like the most is cream sherry, at least in my experience.
I distinctly remember being taken by my parents to a carousel Yates Wine Lodge in Blackpool and drinking schooners of Australian sherry and eating hot lamb buns..I am sure I was underage and arrived later at a brilliant Tommy Cooper show which was fuelled by whisky which was great fun.
Simple full on working class pleasures.
Yates Wine Lodge! Australian sherry! Tommy Cooper! A simpler time.
i have a great fondness for sherry. i have fino, amontillado, and PX on hand most of the time... all sourced, coff!, from NE Victoria (so not sherry at all, then... coff!). i can do a nice sipping glass, but i'd not want to drink it, esp. the fino, with a meal. drinks wise it makes a damned fine replacement for vermouth in a negroni and can give a really very interesting woodiness to the whole drink.
interestingly, a tapas joint a few doors away, is doing a "tapas and sherry" matching week next week. a list of tapas and the sherry to pair with. i think it'll go down a hoot! hopefully get some people drinking sherry, as well. of course, at home i will continue to drink apera... actually another great article on sherry here: https://www.danmurphys.com.au/dans-daily/learn/an-in-depth-guide-to-sherry
I love a drop of Australian sherry but I've only tasted the sweeter styles. Always wanted to try an Aussie fino.
Good piece, Henry. For my piece in similar territory earlier this year I drilled down into the sales figures and they’re even worse than the headline numbers suggest: the composition of sherry imports to the UK is still much the same as 40 years ago, ie large majority cream sherry. And the aged sherries are a tiny sliver of a shrinking market - even though I love them https://aviewfrommytable.substack.com/p/can-sherry-ever-become-cool-again
I read that when it came out. Great stuff. I'll put a link in the text.