Sherry might just be the most versatile wine style when it comes to food pairing, ranging from bone dry to syrupy sweet, with plenty of savoury flavours and textural elements to complement or contrast with almost any ingredient. Copa Jerez is a biennial competition held in Jerez to celebrate that versatility, challenging chef and sommelier teams around the world to create a unique three-course menu paired with its famous fortified wines.
To decide on the UK team heading to Spain next year, entrants were whittled down to three finalists who competed at the UK final, this year held at Orrery in Marylebone. Orrery’s executive chef Pierre Minotti and head sommelier Julio Sierra served as judges alongside previous winner and sommelier Zoé Donadio and chair judge Douglas Blyde, drinks writer and consultant.
Teams from CORD by Le Cordon Bleu, Labombe by Trivet, and The Ritz presented their three-course menus to the judges in front of an increasingly envious audience of trade and media. Blyde, who said that being the lead judge was “a major honour,” explained that he was looking for “enthusiasm, sharpness, a little bit of theatre” from the teams. Donadio, who herself brought home the ‘Most Creative Pairing’ award from Spain, said she was “feeling great on the other side of the table” and gave an insight into the nerves that the teams would be feeling: “I’m sure they’re very proud to showcase their hard work.”
The finalists
Chef Karl O’Dell and sommelier Jiachen Lu from CORD by Le Cordon Bleu are both previous winners of the UK competition. Together they presented an ambitious menu, starting with ‘Scottish Langoustine’: claw raviolo, chorizo, lemon and amontillado bouillabaisse served with Bodegas Osborne La Honda Amontillado en rama, a sherry Lu described as “love at first sip.” For the main course, Bodegas Barbadillo Cuco Oloroso VORS was served with ‘Dry-aged pigeon’, with black pudding, liver parfait, blackberry and a spiced oloroso sauce. The final dish of ‘Cherry’: foie gras ice cream, cherry and PX jam, pain d’épices and piment d’Espelette, was served with Bodegas Tradición VOS Cream in two different glasses to illustrate the history of women in the region. The judges praised Lu for her breadth of sherry knowledge and the inclusion of this history, as well as the intricacy of the cooking.
Labombe by Trivet’s team, chef Higinio Machado and sommelier Ben Cardwell, started with a dish the judges praised for its creativity, pici with clams, served somewhat daringly with Bodegas Tradición VOS Cream. Barbadillo San Roberto Bota Única 2/2 Amontillado was paired with sea bream with courgette and brown butter hollandaise. Cardwell explained how the nuttiness of the brown butter paired with the complex nature of the amontillado. Lustau VORS Palo Cortado was chosen to harmonise with a dessert of almond sablé with goat’s dairy and smoked hojicha.
Chef Aaron Blais and sommelier Léonard Lievin from The Ritz presented their starter ‘Flavours of Pintxos’: Orkney scallop with the only pale sherry of the competition, Bodegas Barrero Gabriela Manzanilla. ‘The Ritz Cádiz’ provided the theatre Blyde had been looking for, with pigeon ‘à la presse’ using The Ritz’s duck press to make a flambé sauce tableside, served with petit pois ‘à la España’ using jamón fat and smoked paprika. Paired with Lustau Don Nuño Oloroso, Blais also used oloroso and PX in the sauce as well as Brandy de Jerez for the flambé. For dessert, a dish Lievin explained was built around the variety that makes up less than 1% of production in the region, ‘Peachy cheesecake’: peach, almond, lemon verbena and Baron Bigod cheesecake paired with César Florido Moscatel Dorado.
The winning menu
After some deliberation time, during which guests enjoyed the sherries and sherry cocktails, the judges revealed the winners. Minotti admitted, “The three teams did very well: beautiful food, beautiful technique, amazing ingredients, it was quite hard for us to choose who was the winner.” But there can only be one, and in announcing The Ritz as the winning team, Blyde described how the judges appreciated that their menu showcased every variety from the sherry region. Sierra likewise congratulated the team on “bringing Moscatel to the table.” Minotti, who called the scallop dish his “highlight of the day,” praised Blais and Lievin’s teamwork and communication, adding, “The execution was faultless.” Blyde was particularly impressed by the reverse engineering of the peach cheesecake: “I want this to almost be the next benchmark for food and wine pairing.”
Lievin explained that preparation was key: “Today was very smooth… because all the mistakes were made yesterday.”
The team were particularly proud of the “inverted pairing” of the cheesecake, “The dessert was really the idea, the twist, the risk we take,” Lievin said. Are they looking forward to the final in Spain next year? “We can’t wait,” Blais said. “We’ve got a lot of practice ahead of us still!”
Summing up the competition, Donadio praised the range of dishes: “There were some great creative pairings, a lot more diversity of style… some really cool wines.” Blyde congratulated everyone who entered, including the finalists, and urged talent across the UK to join future competitions. The quality of the cooking and the imagination of the pairings never fail to impress at Copa Jerez, and this year’s final was an excellent reminder of just how versatile sherry is.
