Sherry H1: volume −13.6%, while Amontillado and Palo Cortado rise
Overall Sherry sales volume fell about 13.6% in the first half of 2026. Inside that decline, drier premium styles such as Amontillado and Palo Cortado posted gains.
Jerez is living two markets on one street.
Tridge's H1 2026 reading showed Sherry sales volume down about 13.6% overall — a hard hit for a category long squeezed by sweet stereotypes and changing aperitif habits. Yet Amontillado and Palo Cortado moved up. Drinkers who stay are choosing drier, more gastronomic styles.
Mini-concept: shrinkage and trading-up can happen together. Volume bleeds at the cheap, sweet base. Value and attention gather at the top for people who open a bottle with food and intention. That is not contradiction. It is a thinner calendar selecting harder.
Sherry's old image as a sticky Christmas drink still hurts casual volume. Younger drinkers comparing options will skip a cloying pour and still say yes to a serious dry glass beside seafood or tapas — especially when the alternative is another forgettable can.
Choice line for the night: if you want background sweetness, many drinks win. If you want a flavoured, aged, dry wine experience, Amontillado and Palo Cortado are the growth story inside the decline.
Market pattern: −13.6% volume, premium dry styles up. Same bodega street, two futures.
Source: Tridge