Masterchef Spain Visits Sherry Country

The fourth series of the highly successful television amateur cooking competition MasterChef  Spain, is now underway and four of the fifteen hopefuls are from Andalucía, two of them twin sisters from Jerez.

The presenter Eva González and the judges Pepe Rodríguez, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera and Jordi Cruz were welcomed, along with the competitors, to the bodegas of González Byass last week by the firm’s president Mauricio González-Gordon and oenologist Antonio Flores. Here they were immersed in the wonderful world of Sherry while the event was filmed for broadcast later on 18 May on channel 1 of TVE at 22.15. Afterwards, the candidates cooked a barbecue lunch for a bunch of hungry horsemen at Medina Sidonia washed down by Sherry naturally and Rioja Beronia, also produced by González Byass.  

The prestigious food and Sherry pairing competition, the Copa Jerez, is preparing its VII edition. Chef and sommelier teams from several different countries will compete in a quest to find the finest possible combinations of Sherry and cuisine. Heats will take place in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the United States, Spain, Holland and Britain with a winner being chosen to represent each country in the final in Jerez in spring next year.

Each team must prepare a starter, main course and dessert and select the most suitable Sherry to accompany each dish. The winning team will receive a cash prize and a gastronomic tour of Jerez.

The first heat is in Britain where the final will be held on the 3rd October. The deadline for entries is the 31st July, find out more here.