Popularity of premium varieties arrests long-term decline thanks to cocktails and tapas restaurants, says Majestic WineSales of dry sherry have soared by a quarter, popularised by the growing number of tapas restaurants and sherry bars, according to Majestic Wine. “It’s the dry, more elegant, styles that are doing well,” said Rowan Gormley, the chief executive of Majestic Wine. Overall sales of sherry fell to 10m bottles in the UK in 2015, less than half the 22m sold in 2005, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). He said sales of wines from small-scale producers were growing in popularity amid the interest in artisan producers, which has already gripped the beer and spirits markets. Separately, the Majestic Wine chain increased sales by 2.3% in the six months to 2 October, which Gormley said was ahead of the wider market.

Source: The Guardian November 23, 2017 19:46 UTC