Jerez de la Frontera, Nov 10 (EFE) .- The Belgian team made up of sommelier Paul-Henri Cuvelier and chef Fabian Bail, from the Paul de Pierre restaurant, won the IX Jerez Cup this Wednesday, but also won taken the Juli Soler award for Best Sommelier and the award for Best Chef.
They competed in this international enogastronomic contest with seven teams representing restaurants, several with Michelin stars, from Spain, the United States, Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany and Russia, preparing a three-course menu harmonized with sherry and chamomile at the Villamarta Theater. from Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) before the public and the jury.
The paired menu that has won the Jerez Cup and that has given its authors the Best Sommelier and Best Chef awards consisted of a starter with mackerel, artichoke and chorizo in a nod to Spain, served with Fino Viña Corrales de Bodegas San Francisco; a main with lamb and zucchini flower stuffed with Manchego cheese, accompanied with Oloroso from Bodegas Gutierrez Colosía, and a dessert of pear in tobacco syrup and creamy lemon with Medium Old Harvest from Bodegas Ximénez-Spinola.
During the competition, held on Tuesday, sommelier Paul-Henri Cuvelier defended the need to consider sherry not only as aperitif or dessert wines, since “they can accompany a whole meal from start to finish” according to their typology, and to taste it in their restaurant they serve it in a bottle wrapped in a black cloth with a green question mark so that the diner does not get carried away by prejudices.
The Netherlands team has been awarded the Best Pairing with Starter, the Danish team with the Best Main Dish Pairing; The award for Best Pairing with Dessert went to the United States -whose team is made up of the Spaniards Nicolás López and Jordi Paronella, from Mercado Little Spain-, and the Most Creative Pairing, to Russia.
Spain, represented by the chef Juan Pablo Stefanini and the sommelier Iván Sánchez, from Venta Moncalvillo (Daroca de Rioja) has gone empty.
Although the competition took place yesterday, it was not until tonight that the winners were announced at the closing gala of the IX Copa Jerez Forum & Competition, organized by the Regulatory Council of Sherry and Manzanilla Wines in collaboration with Fedejerez and that for two days has filled the Villamarta Theater with lectures, culinary demonstrations and tastings.
The jury, chaired by the sommelier from El Celler de Can Roca (Girona), Josep Roca, was made up of Quique Dacosta, who has five Michelin stars; Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier in the World 2007; José Pizarro, from the Pizarro Restaurants Group; Peer Holm, president of the Association of Sommeliers of Germany, and José Carlos Capel, food critic and director of Madrid Fusión.
Roca highlighted the “very high level” of this edition of the enogastronomic championship and pointed out that the jury was surprised “by the deep knowledge that all the participants of the wineries have, of history, of everything that has to do with harmonies. and current gastronomy trends and how they harmonize well with Sherry wines “.
