Sherry Wine News

Get inspired for Copa Jerez

If you love food and love Sherry and love working with your chef, or sommelier, to come up with interesting and creative food and wine matches, then this is the opportunity for you to shine.

It is hard to question the fantastic variety of styles you can discover with Sherry. Nor the amazing amount of food and wine matches you can create with this most versatile wine. A dry Fino or a nutty Oloroso or a rich, unctuous PX Sherry can accompany most ingredients and are especially good with notoriously difficult food matches such as artichokes, asparagus or chocolate.

The wines’ unique flavour profiles means that it is especially suited to food and that is why the CRDO de Jerez has created an initiative that allows top chefs from around the world to find the very best food and Sherry combinations – the Copa Jerez. Established twelve years ago this bi-annual competition gives chef and sommelier teams, from different nations, the opportunity to get creative with Sherry and find the perfect menu to highlight the gastronomic versatility of this wine.

UK winners from 2014, Carlos Martinez and Gino Nardella MS, preparing their winning menu. 1 of 2

Ronan Sayburn MS grills UK winner Gino Nardella MS in the 2014 UK heat. 2 of 2

The UK edition of the Copa de Jerez is now accepting entries from top restaurant and hotel teams who have a passion for good food and good Sherry. Chefs and sommliers who want to win the chance to pit their skills and creativity against some of the best restaurants around the world in the Copa de Jerez final to be held in Jerez in 2017. The overall winners will receive an all-expenses paid, exclusive trip to the region as guests of the CRDO Jerez.

Create a menu using whatever ingredients you like from around the world to match perfectly with three different styles of Sherry to delight and inspire the judges. Click here to upload your entry.

To give you an idea previous finalists from the UK have included teams from Gordon Ramsay’s the London House, Chez Bruce and The Lyttleton, who matched dishes like Gremolata crusted tuna, anchovy dressing and celery salad with a Manzanilla or Iberico ham tortellini with oxtail broth, chanterelles and thyme with an old Palo Cortado Viejo.

The culinary world of flavours is your oyster when it comes to the combinations that can work; Japanese and Chinese flavours match wonderfully with lighter Sherry styles such as Finos or Manzanillas. Or if you want to push the boundaries aromatic and hot spices used in Mexican or Indian dishes combine deliciously on the palate with fuller, richer Amontillados, Palo Cortados and Oloroso Sherries…and when it comes to desserts or cheese the mouth-filling Creams, sweet Olorosos and PX sherries provide a wide palette of flavours with which to pair fruit, cream or chocolate based sweets.

The closing date for entry for the UK heat of the Copa de Jerez is the 31st July with the Grand Final being held at The Restaurant Show on the 3rd October, 2016.

Go on…get inspired with Sherry and show off your expertise in the 2016 Copa de Jerez.

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