Sherry Roundtables [Summer Series] E3: Are sherry casks all they’re hyped up to be?

Sherry, endlessly versatile and revered by somms and Michelin-starred chefs around the world. Pairing sherry with the right foods not only enhances the restaurant experience, but can introduce your customers to a lifelong love affair with a new wine. In this episode, we speak with 4 successful restaurant owners and food pairing experts. MEET THE PANELISTS: - Host: LUCAS PAYÀ (Lustau brand educator) - MIA VAN DE WATER (MS & Assistant General Manager, Cote Korean Steakhouse) - NATASHA HUGHES (MW & Wine writer) - OWEN MORGAN (Chef & Director at 44 Group) - MIKE BAGALE (Superfood Concepts Founder & inventor of floating food)

There’s a reason top mixologists have been using sherry in cocktails since the beginnings of the 19th century. Its brightness and minerality adds a brilliant and unique touch to a variety of cocktails and flavours. In this episode, we invite 4 renowned mixologists to talk to us about how to use sherries and why every mixologist should have it in their arsenal. MEET THE PANELISTS: - Host: CHANTAL TSENG (Mixologists and literary cocktail creator) - LAUREN PAYLOR (Bartender, Co-founder Focus on Health) - MATTHIAS SOBERON (Served by Soberon blog creator) - ALEX JUMP (Bartender & Solera Standout Cocktail Competition 2018) - ALBERTO MARTÍNEZ (1862 Dry Bar Founder)

Short answer: yes. In this episode, we’re going to talk about what makes sherry casks a powerful vessel for world-class beverages. We’ll look at what elements make these casks so special, and why their nature attracts makers of other alcoholic beverages, like whiskey, beer and mezcal. MEET THE PANELISTS: - Host: CHRISTOPHER COATES (Editor at Whisky Magazine) - RON COOPER (Del Maguey Mezcal Founder) - DAWN DAVIES (MW & head Buyer at Specialty Drinks) - GARRETT OLIVER (Brewmaster, The Brooklyn Brewery & Editor-in-chief, “The Oxford Companion to Beer") - DR. RACHEL BARRIE (Master blender Benriach, Glendronach, Glenglassaugh)

While there used to be a guideline that sherry should be consumed as soon as possible after bottling, there is now a renewed interest in old bottles from the 1950s or 1960s. Some sherry connoisseurs will tell you that the right way to consume sherry is as soon as possible after bottling - but it’s not unanimous amongst experts. So which is the right way? In this episode we’ll discuss with serious collectors and answer the questions: how do wines from Jerez evolve in a cellar, and how are En Rama wines with minimal filtering fuelling this evolution? MEET THE PANELISTS: - Host: LUCAS PAYÀ (Lustau brand educator) - CÉSAR SALDAÑA (Sherry Regulatory Council director) - FERRAN CENTELLES (Drinks manager at El Bulli Fundation) - RUBEN LUYTEN (Sherry& Whiskey blogger) - TIM TRIPTREE (MW & Christie's Auction House Int. director wine & spirits )

Sherry wine sales are rumoured to be decreasing around the world, but does that really mean it’s a fading trend? If lower quality products are receiving more public praise, might it not be sherry’s positioning and communication that’s the driving factor? In today’s episode, we discuss the state of sherry wine and how its communication strategy can be revisited to compete in a digital world. MEET THE PANELISTS: - Host: CHELSEA ANTHON (Digital marketing) - SARAH JANE EVANS (MW & Co-Chairperson Decanter World Wine Awards) - RAY ISLE (Food & Wine Exec. wine editor) - GEORGINA PANAGOPOULOU aka wine gini (Digital marketer and wine ambassador) - NICHOLAS ROOM (DWWA judge + RT Wine solutions director)