The 8th International Sherry Week 8-14 November - a perfectly balanced blend of online and in-person festivities

From Instagram Lives to Sherry tunnels, thousands of Sherry-lovers from 27 countries - including Australia, Colombia and Kazakhstan, as well as the US, UK and Spain - joined in with 1,755 tastings, pairings and cocktails of these unique  wines from southern Spain.

Key events

This year, the events reached the perfect balance of 50/50 in-person and digital – Sherry O’Clock on Instagram Live again proved popular, with a harmony of in-depth masterclasses and tastings with experts, plus fun activities with knowledgeable bartenders, restaurateurs and wine retailers, always with a didactic element.

Online events 

An online Masterclass on Biological Aging was held on Tuesday 9 November by Josep Roca, co-owner and sommelier of Celler de Can Roca, twice voted the World’s Best Restaurant, and César Saldaña, president of the Sherry Regulatory Council. This was the second year for a webinar by such an illustrious duo; attendance doubled this year, proving that online events are now a permanent fixture.

In-person and hybrid events 

In Shanghai, an eight-course cocktail pairing menu matched eclectic Sherry-based creations with seasonal Italian-Japanese-Chinese fusion dishes, such as: Fall into Favours (abalone, garlic, pumpkin, lotus root, chestnut, bok choi) paired with a Viva Otoño cocktail (Gutierrez Colosia Fino, autumn moon pear, Chinese rice wine).

In Japan, events extended across every scale, from the largest to the most intimate: Sol Mayor in Kitasenju, Tokyo, which accommodates only 18 diners, sold more than 300 glasses of sherry in six days. A very successful toasting event was held on 11 November at Matsunoyama Onsen in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, where the only Osborne bull in Asia is located. 

In Brazil, the sommelière Gabi Frizon, known as A Louca do Jerez (The Crazy Woman from Jerez), offered a paired dinner with Sherry wines on 13 November at Châteauneuf-du-Sommelier in Sao Paulo. Dishes were inspired by Andalusia, with a Brazilian touch. 

The  number of events in the USA doubled compared to last year, including Sherry Back to the Bar promotions across the country, while Jose Andres’ Jaleo group restaurants offered flights, go-to trios and Sherry inspired food pairings. Furthermore, the US team at Copa Jerez, from Mercado Little Spain in New York (Jaleo group ), won Best Dessert.