Sherry Week’s global tasting jamboree hailed a success

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 19 November, 2021

With some 1,755 tastings, split 50:50 between physical and virtual events, International Sherry Week (8-14 Nov) drew in participants from some 27 countries this year, being the biggest global celebration of the region’s wines.

Featuring the highly individual wines of Jerez, a mix of tastings, food pairings and cocktail ideas were all part of the draw, with participants from countries as diverse as Columbia and Kazakhstan, by way of key markets such as the US, UK and Spain.

Examples of activities included Sherry O’Clock tastings on Instagram Live, masterclasses with the likes of Josep Roca, co-owner and sommelier of Celler de Can Roca, and pairing dinners in cities including Shanghai and Tokyo.

This year for the first time International Sherry Week overlapped with the annual Copa de Jerez food and wine pairing competition in Jerez (9-10 Nov). Belgium sommelier and chef duo Paul-Henri Cuvelier and Fabian Bail, representing Paul de Pierre restaurant in Maarkedal, took the prize among the international competitors.

International Sherry Week also drove good visibility on social media, with 84,000 interactions around #sherry week, a potential reach of 4 million on Twitter and 3 million on Instagram.

Commenting on the blend of highly traditional wines with social media, the organisers said, “stories were one of the most popular mediums for Sherry-lovers to share their passion”, adding that, “The #mysherrypleasure competition, where Sherry-lovers share their guilty food pairing secrets, will run until the end of this month.”

Printer friendly version