Sherry gains popularity in the US with younger drinkers

By Katherine Canfield

Published: 25 June, 2014

Sherry consumption is on the rise among young people in the US and has potential for continued growth in the on-trade, according to industry professionals at the Sherryfest West event in San Francisco last week.

Often a misunderstood and underappreciated sector in the US, sherry imports have seen impressive growth in recent years. President of the Consejo Regulador, Beltrán Domecq, said: "The interest in sherry is building, last year saw an increase of about 10% of wine exported to the US and we hope that it will continue. The US is a very important market to us and we want to concentrate on that."

Whilst there is a growing interest in sherry, Jan Pettersen, managing director at Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla, understands that producers and distributors still have a lot of work to do to continue to boost sales, most of which should be focused on promoting wine and food pairing. "We have to start from scratch," he said. "Lots of young people are bringing wine back to the table and we have to present them with food friendly examples."

Sherry's recent success, particularly in the on-trade, was attributed to the increasing popularity of tapas bars and to improved levels of knowledge among sommeliers and restaurateurs. But there is still a need for much wider education across the US on-trade, particularly around serving temperatures and food pairing. "The consumers now have access to learn about how good wine matches to food can be," said Pettersen.

US consumers have long been unaware of the many sherry styles available; most only associate the wine with its sweeter styles, such as cream sherries. There is hope, however, that the younger generation may be more willing to explore dry styles of sherry and consider it as an accompaniment to food. "The concentration before has always been in cream sherries in the US, much as in the UK," said Domecq. "Sherry bars opening up in the UK are giving the opportunity to young people to understand and enjoy more types of sherry - we want to focus on these outlets in the US as well."

Domecq added that many producers in Jerez do not have the money to invest in a full on marketing strategy in the US, but that it was critical the diversity of sherry is spread to consumers through word of mouth. Sherryfest, one of the world's largest sherry events, is an ideal way to do that as it attracts both trade professionals and consumers, added Domecq.

2014 was the fifth edition of the event, bringing together representatives from over 20 sherry producers for three days of winemaker dinners, tastings and seminars. The event's organisers, Rosemary S Gray and Peter Liem, launched Sherryfest in New York City in 2012 and have since held it in various locations on the West Coast and Canada.

Borja Leal, international area manager for the Americas at Sánchez Romate, has been a part of the event since the beginning and has seen a lot more young people getting involved this year. He said: "What we have here today makes us very happy; it is encouraging sales not just of entry-level sherries, but at the high-end as well."

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