This week will bring the delights of a deliciously versatile and underrated wine to bars and restaurants around Cardiff.
Now in its ninth year, International Sherry Week is an annual festival that brings together a vibrant worldwide community of Sherry-lovers, to celebrate one of the oldest wines in the world.
In the UK, Sherry Week is mainly celebrated in London, with only a small number of Spanish bars and restaurants outside the capital joining in.
But this year, the team behind Curado Bar and Vermut Bar in Cardiff have convinced a host of independent venues to join them in celebrating all things Sherry in the Welsh capital.
Throughout Cardiff Sherry Week, a collection of bars and restaurants will create special offers and events designed to showcase how Sherry can be enjoyed on its own, as an aperitif, paired with food, and in cocktails.
Participating venues include:
- Curado bar – will be creating a ‘menu de especiales’ which will include five Sherry-inspired dishes and dedicated pairing recommendations for each one.
- Vermut Bar – alongside their usual extensive menu of sherries by the glass and sherry based cocktails, will also be opening some of the finest Very Old Rare Sherry (VORS) bottles they can get their hands on, offering them at cost-price by the glass. Bar manager Jack Holtom recently qualified as a certified Sherry Educator, and will be on hand to answer questions and guide newbies into the world of Sherry!
- Sibling coffee and wine bar in Roath – will be creating some weekly specials paired with Sherry, including rustic style dishes such as chicken liver pate with a glass of Fino.
- Nighthawks wine bar in the city centre will be offering a special edition of their signature cheese toasties which will include the flavours of Sherry alongside a small menu of Sherry wines to try.
- Wine Fiend independent merchants in Canton – will be hosting a dedicated Sherry tasting event (date to be confirmed).
- City centre Spanish restaurants Bar44 and Asador44 have been getting behind Sherry Week for a number of years, and will be offering a number of special dishes throughout the week. Bar 44 will also offer a £5 glass of 2022 Tio Pepe en rama with a portion of roast marcona almonds, and Asador 44 will offer an £8 glass of Palo Cortado with a tapita of Ibérico charcutería.
- LAB 22 will be showcasing the versatility of Sherry in their inventive cocktails. And, to round off a week of celebrations, on Sunday Curado will be teaming up with Lab 22 (winner of Best Cocktail Bar in the UK at the Top 50 Cocktail Bars Awards) for a ‘pintxo and sherry cocktail night’. Three specially-created cocktails will be paired with three pintxos; there are no tickets needed – just turn up!
- Curado Bar and Vermut Bar – will also be taking their knowledge online with an Instagram Live version of Sherry question time. Adam and Jack from Vermut will be joined by Shumana Palit of Ultracomida (Sherry Educator) and Brad Horne (a London-based wine enthusiast @winetimelondon) in an open forum – ask anything about Sherry!
A dedicated map has been designed by Felix Ray, Duty Manager at Curado Bar, to help Sherry-seekers plot their course around the city; the maps will be available for collection (for free) from Curado bar or Vermut, from 5th November. Other venues confirmed to take part in Cardiff Sherry Week are Lemonde, The Heathcock, The Potted Pig, and The Dead Canary.
Curado Bar Events Manager Adam Beckey said,
“Due to the wide variety of Sherry Wines available, you’ll often hear the saying that ‘there is a Sherry to suit every taste and every occasion’ – we’re thrilled to be teaming up with lots of other local indies to help prove this to be true during Cardiff Sherry Week!
Whether you’re a total Sherry buff or a complete newcomer, there’ll be something for everyone – we can’t wait to introduce more people to this fantastic, versatile wine.”
For more information, check out @sherry_week_cardiff on Instagram, and to see other events all around the world, follow @sherrywinesjerez and use #sherryweek.
