Muristek
Salud to sherry! Why those in the know are raising a glass of Spain’s fortified wine
Varied, vibrant and versatile, sherry is finally getting the recognition it deserves
For years, sherry was the wine-lovers’ secret; known to most of the UK only as a sweet drink, a neglected, eternally open bottle in grandma’s otherwise empty drinks cabinet. But all that is changing. Sales have increased by 20% since 2019, with more than 7.4m bottles of sherry consumed in 2021. Volumes increased by more than 25% in 2020 according to the market research company Nielsen, with supermarkets from the Co-op to Waitrose reporting significant rises. In March 2020, the month that lockdown was announced, sherry sales in the UK surpassed those in Spain for the first time.
“Sherry is such a classy drink,” says professional caterer and supper club host Milli Taylor. Thanks to the fact her parents have lived in Malaga for the past 20 years, Taylor didn’t need a drinks revolution to discover a taste for Andalucía’s finest. In southern Spain, she visits great little bars where you can try a range of sherries, your tally written in chalk on the bar, and she’s thrilled that the UK has finally found a taste for it too.
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