05.03.2010: More than 2,000 restaurants will compete to produce the best food and Sherry pairings

After three successful editions over the last 6 years, during which the "Copa Jerez" International Food and Sherry Pairing Competition has become one of the key events of the international world of haute cuisine, the Consejo Regulador for Sherry and Manzanilla is already working on the final touches of the semi-finals of the 4th Copa Jerez. These qualifiers will select the best chef sommelier team which will represent Spain at the Grand International Final of Copa Jerez, due to take place in 2011. The qualifiers to select the best sommelier-chef teams from the Southern Spain area - which is made up of the regions of regions of Andalusia, Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha - are well under way and set to continue until the 20th of March. To participate, contenders must submit a proposal with a three-course menu featuring dishes combined with Sherry before the closing date.

The three best menus will be selected from the proposals submitted, with the aspiring teams having to prepare their menus and justify their choice of wines in front of a judging panel made up of famous names from the worlds of gastronomy and wine. The semi-finals of the Southern regions have attracted some 2,000 entries and their proposed menus are expected to be of an exceptional level, given the area's extensive knowledge of the possibilities that Sherry and Manzanilla offer for culinary marriages. Only one of the teams will be selected by the judges to compete against the winners of the semi-finals of the Eastern and Northern areas, and the chance to represent Spain in the competition against seven other participating countries. The Copa Jerez is an international food and wine pairing competition which is held every two years featuring a range of dishes combined with Sherry and Manzanilla.

The participants include Chef and Sommelier teams from restaurants in eight different countries: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, United States, Holland, Japan, and the United Kingdom. To participate, the teams must present a menu consisting of three dishes - two main courses and a dessert - and combine each of them with a Sherry or Manzanilla of their choice, be it a dry (Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso or Palo Cortado), semi-sweet (Cream, Medium or Pale Cream), or sweet wine (Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel). The Copa Jerez has become a highly prestigious competition as can be seen by the level of quality of the recipes and pairings which are proposed at each edition. The final choices are selected by a jury made up of well-known professionals from the gastronomic world including illustrious names such as Juan Mari Arzak, Juli Soler, Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck, London), Dough Frost, and Makoto Abe, amongst others.