1. WHAT IS COPA JEREZ
Copa Jerez is an international competition on gastronomic harmonies with Sherry Wines, organized every two years by the Federation of Bodegas of Marco de Jerez (Fedejerez) and the Regulatory Council of the "Jerez-Xérès-Sherry" and "Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda” Denominations of Origin, and sponsored by ICEX.
Every second year, Copa Jerez brings together teams made up of a chef and a sommelier from eight different countries: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Russia.
2. PHASES OF THE COMPETITION
The IXthedition of Copa Jerez will take place during 2020 and 2021, in two phases:
National Phase: a broad call will be made by the Copa Jerez organization committee in each country, inviting chefs and sommeliers to participate. Out of the applications recieved, a minimum of three and a maximum of five teams will be invited to recreate and defend their proposals in front of a jury of professional experts at the National Finals. The live competition and the selection of the winning team in each country must take place before the end of March 2021.
International Phase:the winning teams at the national phase will hold the representation of their respective countries at the International Grand Final of the IXthedition of Copa Jerez. This final will be held in Jerez de la Frontera on May 2021, as part of "Copa Jerez Forum & Competition", the largest gastronomic congress around Sherry wines.
3. NATIONAL PHASE. PARTICIPATION MECHANICS
The teams must be made up of a chef and a sommelier, both of them actively working at a restaurant, catering company or similar ([1]). The chef and the sommelier shall not necessarely work at the same establishment. The restaurant or company in which the team members carry out their duties must include at least three references from our Denominations of Origin on their wine list, from at least two different registered producers.
The teams must create a three-course menu proposal -starter, main course and dessert- and select the ideal Sherry wine to accompany each of those dishes. For this purpose they can choose wines from any registered bodega and of any style. The only limitation is that the pairing proposals may not include more than two Sherry wines from the same producer.
The teams must describe their proposals in writing in a document including, for each of the courses:
• The name of the dish, its ingredients and preparation
• The selected wine and a brief justification of the pairing
• A photograph of the dish
Proposals must be sumbitted by email to the Copa Jerez organization comitee in each country before (to be completed by each country).
The teams must take into account that, if case that they are selected for the final, they must prepare the entire menu in a maximum of three hours. In the event that a particular ingredient or part od a dish requires some type of prior preparation (marinade, especially long cooking, etc.), it must be noted in writing in the proposal.
Likewise, the teams must be aware that the menu that results to be the winner at the national phase will be the one that will represent the respective country at the International Final in Jerez in May 2021. The availability of seasonal ingredients must therefore be taken into account when submiting the proposals.
Participants must also know that the International Final will include, among other prizes, a special one for the best Sherry pairing with a dish which includes Sherry Vinegar as a key ingredient.
Finally, the total cost of preparing each menu must not exceed € 70, including wines.
4. SELECTION OF TEAMS FOR THE NATIONAL FINAL
The Copa Jerez organization committee will designate a jury of experts in each of the countries, made up of a minimum of three members and a maximum of five, including a chef and a sommelier of national prestige. The organization comitee will evaluate the proposals received within the deadline established in each countries and, advised by all or some of the members of the jury, will select a minimum of three and a maximum of five teams for the national final. Selection will be made based on the following criteria:
• The originality and creativity of the recipes and pairings
• The gastronomic value of the recipes
• The justification of the pairings
5. NATIONAL LIVE FINAL
The teams selected in each country will attend a live competition face-to-face with the jury in which they will defend their respective proposals ([2]). During the competition, the chef will prepare the dishes to serve with each of the Sherry wines, for which the organization comitee will provide the necessary facilities, equipment and tools. The teams must provide all the ingredients for the preparation of the dishes and the organization comitee will provide them with two 75 cl bottles. (or equivalent number of bottles if they are of less capacity) of each of the selected wines.
Each team will have a maximum of three hours to prepare and present their paired menu. The order of the presentations to the jury will be stablished by lot and the teams will alternately present each of the three courses: first all the first courses of each team, then all the mains and finally all the desserts. Presentations to the jury will last a maximum of 10 minutes per team and course. During the presentations, the competing team must:
1. Present and explain the dish (chef)
2. Serve and explain in detail the selected wine (sommelier)
3. Describe the chosen pairing and justify the selection (both)
4. Answer the questions from the members of the jury (both)
Each team must prepare the number of servings of each dish corresponding to the number of members of the jury plus one extra for a photograph of the dish together with the chosen wine.
The jury will evaluate the menus with the same criteria used for the selection of the finalists, and will choose the one that they consider as the best to participate in the IX Copa Jerez International Final. The scores and system used by the jury in order to come to a decision must be agreed between the jury members and the organization comitee in each country; but always on the basis of the previously mentioned criteria:
• The originality and creativity of the recipes and pairings
• The gastronomic value of the recipes
• The justification that is made of the pairings
The decision of the jury on the winning team will be communicated on the same day of the national final.
[1]Exceptionally and given the special situation of the hospitality industry due to Covid-19, chefs or sommeliers coming from restaurants that are temporarily inactive will be admitted to participate.
[2]Exceptionally and considering the special situation created by Covid-19, the organizing comitee could consider alternative choices to the live competition, provided that they allow equal opportunities for all participants.
