Announcing the 2016 Copa Jerez USA Finalists!

Copa Jerez is an international competition featuring top chefs and sommeliers from across Europe, Asia, and North America, in which each team is commissioned with choosing the ultimate matches of Sherry wines with food.  It was created to showcase the incredible diversity of Sherry wine and its remarkable ability to match with food.
 
The international competition will be held in Spain in 2017 but before that we need to crown a U.S. winner!  This year’s finalists are:
 
Ezra Star and Ashley Gaboriault --- Drink Boston, Boston, MA
Nick Africano and Flannery Klette-Kolton --- En Rama, New York, NY
Brendan Spiro and Erik Ramirez --- Llama Inn, Brooklyn, NY
 
The live finals will be held at Distilled NY (211 West Broadway) in New York City on Tuesday, December 6th, from 11am to 4pm.  There, the finalists will present their dishes and pairings to our distinguished panel of judges — Ian Adams, winner of the top prize Best Overall Menu and Best Sommelier in the World at the 2015 International Copa Jerez Competition; Doug Frost, MS MW; Michael Weiss of the Culinary Institute of America; and Steve Olson, aka wine geek.

If you're in the city, you won't want to miss it!  RSVP to kate@akawinegeek.com to watch the competition and taste the matches for yourself.  The winning team will be announced that afternoon and will go on to compete in the international finals in Jerez, Spain!