Maxxium UK is hoping to encourage consumers to re-evaluate sherry with a new marketing push for Harveys.

Harveys Half Hour aims to recruit new drinkers into the sherry category and re-engage with existing fans, appealing to 30 to 60 year old women who lead increasingly busy lives.

The campaign will be spearheaded by an extensive sampling programme, encouraging consumers to take some ‘me time' every day. It includes a new signature serve of Harveys over ice with a slice of orange, which Maxxium hopes more than 100,000 consumers will sample throughout the year.

In the off-trade, Harveys will run a programme of in-store sampling and link-up with magazines including Waitrose Weekend and Sainsbury Magazine. A dedicated website for the campaign, harveyshalfhour.co.uk, will go live in March and the brand will also sponsor the Ideal Home Show.

Maxxium UK marketing director, Peter Sandstrom, said: "Sherry is a huge and valuable asset for UK retailers worth £91 million and the need for Harveys to invest in premium activity to inspire renewed interest at the consistently lack-lustre fixture, is essential. As category captain, with over 200 years of expertise in sherry production, we are best placed to lead the way in re-energising and re-generating such an important category."