Copa Jerez - history of the competition

Copa Jerez – the history

The competition aims to find the best chef and sommelier team who really understand the complexities of food and Sherry matching and brings together professionals from top restaurants and hotels in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Spain, the UK, Russia and the USA.

Now celebrating its 7th edition, the competition has been running for 14 years and has attracted a spectacular line up of participants, many of whom have gone onto be leading lights in the world of gastronomy in all of this key international markets.

Each edition of Copa Jerez holds individual heats in each of the participating countries with the aim of finding the best chef-sommelier team who are able to demonstrate their skill and understanding of the art of matching their dishes with the right style of Sherry.

The UK Copa Jerez heats have repeatedly brought together many of the nation’s most famous names when it comes to dining, including participants from Gordon Ramsay, Galvin, The Cinnamon Club to name a few. And the quality of judges is no exception. Previous editions have counted on the analytical skills and enviable knowledge of such personalities as Jancis Robinson OBE MW, Gerard Basset OBE MS MW MBA OIV, Alexis Gauthier, chef patron of Gauthier Soho and President of the CRDO Jerez, Beltrán Domecq.

But this competition is not just about finding the best Sherry to match with your dish and why. You will also have the chance to be crowned UK Best Sherry Sommelier and Best Chef for Copa Jerez VII 2016. To find out more about Copa Jerez, simply visit www.sherry.wine. Here you will find details of the criteria for entry, news about previous winners and the dishes they produced and paired Sherry with, plus lots of ideas about which combinations work and how previous participants used their knowledge to create the perfect match.