Simon Armitage has been
appointed the new English Poet Laureate and will visit Jerez soon to choose his
Sherry and sign a butt which will be kept at the Consejo Regulador´s Bodega San Ginés. In a tradition dating back to 1668 the title of
Poet Laureate was awarded by the monarch for poetic excellence and for life. The
reward was a butt of Sack and occasionally a pension. Since 1999 it has been a
10 year appointment with a fixed payment of ₤5,750 and 600 bottles of
Sherry of the poet´s choice. Armitage, a
55 year old Yorkshireman who is professor of poetry at Leeds University, takes
over the role from the first ever female Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Once a
label has been designed and the Sherry has been bottled, he plans to keep some and auction most
of it to raise money for charity.
