Happy New Year!

2016 has been a very good year for Sherry. There is a more optimistic mood in Jerez now that rising sales of better wine at higher prices have largely balanced out the falling volumes of the more commercial wines. Sherry is gradually regaining its rightful place among fine wines. Chefs worldwide are mad about it, and it is beginning to be used more as a wine to accompany a meal. For the first time ever, a Spanish wine was voted the Best Wine in the World, and it was, of course, a Sherry. A huge number of medals have been won in prestigious international competitions. The purchase by Emperador of the old Domecq installations in Jerez and Mexico as well as the brand names, and their purchase of Garvey bode well for Jerez but there remains much to be done.

Sherry must be more profitable for all concerned. Grape prices are far too low and so is the price of the wine; it is not a commodity but a wine of extremely high quality which is labour intensive to produce, and needs to be sold at a price which reflects that. The bodegas should be dictating prices, not the customers. Even if the price of a bottle doubled it would still be good value for money compared to many other wines, despite unfair taxation. Hopefully 2017 will capitalise on these green shoots but that means more investment in advertising and promotion, especially in the social media, more wine tourism and all Sherry fans to proclaim from the rooftops “Sherry is great!”