There is a belief that top class sherry needs to break out of its “aperitif/digestif” typecasting and take its place at the center of the dinner table.

It can certainly do it – olorosos or palo cortados in particular lend themself to the task with their dry acidity and mellow/spicy flavours and are superb with meaty roasts and even spicey stews (if you havent tried oloroso with callos a la madrilena you really should). Lighter finos and manzanillas stand up well with seafood and tastier fishes, and dry, full bodied finos (like the Panesa or Tradicion) and amontillados really complement creamy sauces. In fact, there are many foods – very green greens like artichokes, asparragus, or rocket, or pickles and vinagrettes – that really cry out for a sherry.

On the other hand, the dinner table is not short of pretenders – the entire world of wine, not to put too fine a point on it – and one does wonder whether this is the right battle in strategic terms. There is nothing lost by trying, of course, but it may be a mistake to limit options.

At the end of the day there is nothing wrong with being an aperitif – I would rather have a glass of sherry than many beers and wines, proseccos and pink spritzers. Of course, to an extent it depends where you want to be in the supermarket – the company you want to keep etc. – and the price bracket you want to be in. Sherry as the new champagne?