Greetings from Jerez, Spain, the land of Sherry, one of the World´s greatest wines with a millenary of history. As representative of the Official Sherry Institution, we are committed to spread the knowledge about this great wine in Greater China and have prepared a number education and appreciation activities and associated media which will mark the beginning of a new age of Sherry appreciation in Greater China. Probably the most genuine and authentic of all Spanish wines, Sherry’s versatility makes it also a great wine to match with cuisines from all over the world, including those of Greater China. Our intentions are to provide greater understanding and access to the Sherry to wine lovers in general and professionals in particular. If you appreciate great quality and tradition and are open to experience the pleasures of unique products with international recognition, I encourage you to join the Sherry Wine Association of Greater China. It is with great pleasure that we launch this inaugural issue of the Sherry e-news and I look forward to sharing with you more of the beauty and pleasure of Sherry!

César Saldaña
Director
Consejo Regulador de las Denominaciones Sherry-Jerez-Xeres

The UK's most popular newspapers (The Times, The Observer and The Herald Tribune) have all three coincided in highlighting the burgeoning popularity that Sherry and in particular Manzanilla are undergoing in the British Isles, the primary market for our wines abroad. At the same time, the country's most prestigious chefs have come together to create a book with 60 recipes matching food with Sherry, entitled"The Perfect Marriage: The Art of Matching Food & Sherry Wines From Jerez".

The UK is"rediscovering" Sherry by way of food: "Sherry is on the menu at the coolest food pubs and bars, and has a strong showing on the wine menus at the finest restaurants", according to a recent article in the British daily The Observer. " Until now Sherry has been associated with a certain type of traditional consumer in a specific age group", points out Heston Blumenthal, the UK's most famous and one of the world's most outstanding chefs, in an article published in The Times, Britain's daily par excellence. Nonetheless, the Fat Duck's chef maintains that Sherry is now becoming a trendy wine, perfect for accompanying "practically any gastronomic proposal" and not just as an aperitif.

Promotional efforts over the last several years undertaken by the Exporter's Association and the Consejo Regulador to put Sherry on the dining table have come to fruition, simultaneous with a generational shift in Sherry drinkers. Sherry consumption is jumping from one generation to another, and it is doing so backed by the UK's finest chefs and cooks. The youthful Blumenthal is very clear when he tells The Times that "Sherry's definitely something we should drink more of", because it is a unique and distinctive wine with "amazing complexities of balance and flavour".

Blumenthal, who has been called the English Ferrán Adriá for his revolutionary and innovative character and now dubbed "Sherry Baby" by The Times, even has plans to do in-depth research on the components in Sherry that give it the "fifth flavour". Sherry has what the experts call "umami", a new fifth flavour beyond sweet, salty, bitter and sour, and only found in certain very special food and drinks, like Japanese sake or French champagne. "Sherry has an extra dimension in the mouth", an enthusiastic Blumenthal explains to The Times.

It is early autumn in the "2007 Year of Spain in China". Amid the overflowing aroma of hairy crab and the ambiance generated by the enthusiastic guests, a festive atmosphere was created by the participating gourmands of the Sherry Wine Association of China (Shanghai). The famous Macanese tea restaurant "Lisbao Yum Yum Pot" was especially chosen to host the banquet… with the purpose of accentuating the multi-elemental qualities that emerge when sherry complements Chinese cuisine.

All of the distinguished guests were Sherry connoisseurs, fond of the wine and possessing vast amounts of knowledge about it. The group included wine columnist Susie Wu, Reporter of China Wines Information Website, Xiao Xue, Antonio Mompo, Brand Ambassador-Spanish Wines of Pernod Ricard (China) Trading Co., Ltd., Daniel Li, General Manager of Panati Wine (Wenzhou) Co., Ltd., and Kevin Yen, General Manager of Vino-Rich. Susie has visited Spain on three different occasions and covered the Sherry producing regions. She knows the different grades and classes of sherry like the back of her hand. Susie brought a bottle of mystery wine especially for Antonio, to give him a little tasting test. Antonio guessed the wine to be some kind of Oloroso, but it was revealed to be a bottle sixteen-year old Shaohsing, causing the test subject to cry out that he was deceived.

The banquet served the following Sherry-complementing dishes: Chinese Hairy Crab, Deep Fried Bombay Duck Fish with Salt and Chili, Fried Crispy Chicken in Garlic Style, Braised Beef Spare Ribs with Ginseng Sauce, Pastry Bun Stuffed with Butter, etc. Sherry wines possess multi-elemental qualities that can vary from light to rich, sweetened to unsweetened. The guests also made various comparisons and their discussions focused on the subject of whether to combine a certain dish with sweetened or unsweetened Sherry. On the topic of promoting Sherry in China, everyone acknowledged that Sherry shares many similarities with millet wine (yellow wine), such as the yeasty flavor and the taste that comes from the oxidation process, and believe that it will be easily accepted. Sherry also has an advantageous position in the field advertising, since it is a wonderful counterpart for Chinese cuisine and other Asian delicacies.