Sherry Academy 2022
So excited and honored to have been recruited as an official Sherry Ambassador!
Sherry wines have over 3,000 years of history, beginning with the Phoenicians. This ancient culture introduced the cultivation of vines to Cadez, Spain between 700 – 1000 BC.
During the two and a half days of classroom education associated with the Sherry Academy 2022 program, I’ve discovered so many rich details of this historic region and its wines.
Program activities included visits to key bodegas, tasting events, and various lunches and dinners organized by the Consejo Regulador.
Through these activities (divided into modules of themed lectures accompanied by related tastings and visits) our small group of international wine educators were able to “dig deep” into the foundation of the fortified wines we know as Sherry and taste examples of the different styles.
Jerez de la Frontera
Sherry is grown and produced in Jerez de la Frontera, in the South of Spain.
Sherry Academy 2022 Day 1
The first day, those who arrived early enjoyed a tour of Lustau where we toured this historic bodega and enjoyed samples of the various styles.
That night, we experienced a guided tour of historic Castillo de Los Marcos and welcome dinner in the Mezquita.
Sherry Academy 2022 Day 2
On the second day, we met sharply at 9am to learn about the unique viticulture of the Jerez region and the factors that make it so exceptional.
Our instructor for this session was Mannuel Delgado, vineyard manager at Bodegas Gonzalez Byass.
Senior Delgado’s enthusiasm for his job was apparent from the expert way he explained the terroir and climate of the region.
We learned quite a lot about the unique method for pruning (“vara y pulgar” meaning “stick and thumb”) and why they were originally necessary for quality grapes.
Yet we also discovered that today more bodegas are using mechanization because of limited trained labor for vara y pulgar method.
After the classroom session, Senior Delgado took us on a brief field trip to the La Canariera vineyard of Gonzalez Byass for a practical session on viticulture.
What a treat to see the unique Albariza soil up close.
Following a tasting of dry sherries at the property, we enjoyed lunch, followed by a tasting of sweet sherries.
That evening, we made the journey to Sanlucar de Barrameda to Bodegas Barbadillo for a tasting of their wines followed by dinner.
Sherry Academy 2022 Day 3
The final third day began with an exciting (and rare!) tasting of V.O.S. and V.O.R.S. sherries, with the acronym standing for Very Old Sherries and Very Old Rare Sherries.
We also had a fun food and sherry pairing session.
This session was eye-opening in terms of discovering the many ways people can enjoy pairing sherry with easy-to-find foods, such as blue cheese, seafood, mushroom soup, game, vegetarian cuisine, and dessert.
One of the more important ideas I learned during the “Sherry enjoyment” session was the importance of temperature specifically related to sherry wines.
As a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, I know full well that each wine style has a specific temperature range it should be served to the consumer.
Call it a personal quirk, yet I prefer Champagne at a slightly warmer temperature than recommended.
Yet I adored Fino Sherry served at the suggested cooler temperatures. Perhaps it was the warm weather of late September, but I really enjoyed a sense of ‘chill’ on my Fino.
According to the lecture on serving Sherry (especially Fino), the “rule” is to serve small amounts so that each pour from the ice-chilled bottle will reflect the right temperature.
Final Exam
The final third day began with an exciting (and rare!) tasting of V.O.S. and V.O.R.S. sherries, with the acronym standing for Very Old Sherries and Very Old Rare Sherries.
We also had a fun food and sherry pairing session.
This session was eye-opening in terms of discovering the many ways people can enjoy pairing sherry with easy-to-find foods, such as blue cheese, seafood, mushroom soup, game, vegetarian cuisine, and dessert.
One of the more important ideas I learned during the “Sherry enjoyment” session was the importance of temperature specifically related to sherry wines.
As a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, I know full well that each wine style has a specific temperature range it should be served to the consumer.
Call it a personal quirk, yet I prefer Champagne at a slightly warmer temperature than recommended.
Yet I adored Fino Sherry served at the suggested cooler temperatures. Perhaps it was the warm weather of late September, but I really enjoyed a sense of ‘chill’ on my Fino.
According to the lecture on serving Sherry (especially Fino), the “rule” is to serve small amounts so that each pour from the ice-chilled bottle will reflect the right temperature.
This exam incorporated all the concepts we learned during the 2.5 days of our Jerez visit, our assessment of our sherry and food pairing experiences, and educational tidbits taken directly from our lectures.
Yet much of the exam also included key points taken from the Advanced Sherry Course (online) we were required to take and pass prior to our visit.
With its many modules focusing on the history of the Jerez region, as well as its viticulture and vinification, the Advanced Course served as a time-intensive investment in the on-site Academy course.
Each module of the online advanced course took more than a few hours to read. Each module concluded with an exam. It was necessary to pass 100% of this exam before one could advance to the next module.
For those of you who’ve taken the WSET Diploma course or the Fortified Wine course, or studied Sherry for the Master of Wine exam, the Advanced Online Course from the Sherry Academy goes into much more detail.
Understanding the key concepts of each module was necessary to fully appreciate the limited 2.5 days of this intensive Jerez-based Academy course.
Graduation
Graduation
The graduation ceremony was a learning experience in itself, as Consejo President Cesare Saldana Consejo went over the correct answers of what all agreed was a challenging written and tasting exam.
A celebratory dinner followed.
Conclusion
It was such a pleasure to travel to Jerez and explore its vineyards and its wine.
Yet what I appreciated most was the well-thought-out structure of the program under the auspices of Cesare Saldana and the Consejo Regulador team.
Also a joy to meet my educator and journalist colleagues from around the world, all of us joining together in a joint mission to bring attention and appreciation for the unique Sherry region.
