Many different Chinese styles of cuisine from Shanghai, Henan, Yunnan and Sichuan were joined by Mediterranean, French, creative fusión and desserts.
Hairy crab was the most popular ingredient but cooked in many different and delicious ways, and interestingly it was matched with a wide variety of different Sherries according to the taste of the chefs and the detail of their dishes. Sherry, in its various styles, has been shown to be the ideal accompaniment to hairy crab dishes.
Of all these styles, Amontillado was the most popular choice with nearly 40% of the chefs selecting it for their dishes. The bodegas of choice were Yuste, Dios Baco and Manuel Aragón. Amontillado is obviously the favourite for the Chinese palate!
Manzanilla was not far behind however with nearly 30% choosing it for their dishes, particularly in the south of China, where the cuisine is lighter and simpler.
And the winners were:
First prize
Dao Ke, owner of Xi Town Teashop Bar and Restaurant, an establishment which offers China tea, Sherry, artisan beer, fusion cuisine and accommodation in Tangqi, a riverside village in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.
His dish: Entrecot marinated in Sherry and oven baked, accompanied by Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva Dios Baco.
His comments: The entrecot was macerated for a long time in Sherry and baked slowly for 60 minutes in the oven. It goes perfectly with the Brandy de Jerez because of its smoothness, hint of sweetness and just the right amount of power to balance with the meat.
Second prize
Xiao Wei, chef of Mr Lo´s Wine House, a wine bar in Dongguan, Canton, where they have organised many events pairing Sherry with various speciality dishes cooked using Sherry.
His dish: Hake stewed in a mussel sauce accompanied by Manzanilla Pasada en rama La Pastora from Bodegas Barbadillo.
His comments: The combination of hake and mussels and the Manzanilla creates a sort of umami bomb which no other sort of wine could carry off.
Third prize
Shouxin Li Works in the wine trade and is currently grappling with the WSET Diploma as a student of the 15th Sherry course at Moni´s Sherry World.
Her dish: Hairy crab marinated in rice wine accompanied by Manzanilla Levante from Barbadillo
Her comments: You can see my boyfriend in the photo, but we are in two different places for the National Day holidays, so the best way to fight the loneliness is to eat and drink well. This is the time of year when hairy crab is at its best and it is delicious however you cook it, but the best way is to steam it and then marinate it in Chinese rice wine for a few days. The umami, the fat and the rounded flavour of the crab is lifted even further thanks to the Manzanilla Levante. If you are wondering where the Poniente is, it is right here in my hand!
Voting
"The voting lasted three whole days. We dispensed with block voting to make the vote broader and more enjoyable. We received a staggering 15,132 votes from 14,354 people. IT WAS CRAZY!
The winner of the first prize offered a bottle of Amontillado Viejísimo Conde de Aldama (no less!) to encourage friends and contacts to vote for him! With this sort of gimmick huge interest was aroused in Sherry Week and Sherry Wines, even among people we hadn´t been able to contact or we didn´t have the opportunity to contact.
In the final reckoning, there was a notable increase in people following our public account WeChat and a huge increase in contacts and orders at our online shop during these days." Monica Zhou
