Welcome to

Sherry Aficionado

After nearly 40 years in the advertising industry, I decided to fill the gap in English language content on some the world’s most misunderstood and under-appreciated wines. I do this by visiting the bodegas, bars and restaurants in the Jerez region, and talking with the key personalities that make up the diverse and fascinating Sherry community. I will also visit the ’Sherry Heroes’ in other markets, especially in the UK, who are making quality Sherry accessible to a wider public.

Sherry also plays a central role in many aspects of Spanish culture, and where possible I make this connection.

True to the dictionary definition of an aficionado, I am an enthusiast for all things related to sherry, but I wouldn’t consider myself to be an expert. Real expertise is provided by the individuals that I engage with in each video.

I’ve been visiting this part of Spain for more than 40 years, finally buying a home close to the Marco de Jerez about a decade ago. My love for Sherry simply grew out of visits to the bodegas as a tourist. And of course, drinking finos and manzanillas in the Andalusian sun.

I’m also an enthusiast for all things wine-related and I’m studying for the WSET Diploma (Level 4) in Wines in a relaxed way. I’ve also completed the Advanced Course in Sherry wines offered by the Consejo Regulador de Jerez.

There is plenty of excellent written material in English about Sherry. This channel has been heavily informed by this, but the medium of choice here is video.

Over time I hope to build a comprehensive view of all aspects of the Sherry world, but I am not offering a structured learning experience in a pedagogical sense. If that is what you are looking for I recommend the excellent sherry.wine from the Consejo Regulator de Jerez. You could even enrol in one of their on-line courses at the Sherry Academy. I would hope that my videos would enrich that experience.

Rather, I select bodegas, bars, restaurants and retailers etc. as the mood takes me. There is a basic organising principle in that I have started with some of the bigger players in the region and tried to feature wines that are widely available in most markets with a modicum of effort. As the channel builds, I will feature more boutique players and seek out ’sherry heroes’ in other locations outside of Spain.

I have funded this enterprise myself and had no financial support from any of the bodegas featured. As such, I have retained full editorial control over all aspects of the videos. Thankfully, everyone I’ve featured so far has been incredibly welcoming, collaborative and generous with their time. I should also like to thank Carmen and Cesar from the Consejo Regulador, without whose support I would never have been able to get this off the ground.

Finally, you will see that the tone of these films is positive and frankly, joyful. This is not entirely surprising as I have selected the material that we are featuring, so it has been a real privilege to get the chance to engage with the subject matter in such depth. There are certainly some ‘controversial’ issues that we may get to in later episodes, but my feeling is that the sherry industry has had it hard enough in recent decades. So to invert Shakespeare – ‘I come to praise Caesar not to bury him’. I do hope you can join me.