Chef Allan Schultz and sommelier Alexander Berntsen, representatives of the Parsley Salon restaurant in Hellerup, Denmark, wooed the jury with their nuanced proposal to win the 10th Copa Jerez International Final.
Jerez de la Frontera, 4th October 2023 – Copa Jerez Forum & Competition 2023, the largest international gathering that brings together Sherry Wines and avant-garde cuisine, organised by the Consejo Regulador for DO Jerex–Xérès–Sherry and DO Manzanilla [KN1] in collaboration with Fedejerez, concluded today with the awards ceremony.
After the excitement of the Copa Jerez International Final held yesterday, it was announced that the winning team was from Denmark, formed by chef Allan Schultz and sommelier Alexander Berntsen, representatives of the Parsley Salon restaurant in Hellerup.
The Copa Jerez 2023 winners stated: ‘It’s been a few months of hard work, we make a very good team, we were completely focused on the competition and were going all out, we wanted to win this competition. The presentation before the jury was not easy, but if there was one thing we knew for sure, it was that we had to express our way of working at home, to trust in our creations and decisions, to show that Sherry plays a very important role in our restaurant’. The undisputed stars of this edition declared themselves in love with Sherry Wines and stated that their relationship has been strengthened even more during this gastronomic adventure. They added: ‘The key points of this competition are to continue to discover these wines at source and to compete where they are made. Copa Jerez cannot be envisioned in any other way’.
The winning menu paired with Sherry Wines presented by the Danish team that won over the competition’s jury was as follows:
- Starter: poached prawns seasoned with beurre blanc vinegar and marinated rye bread, green celery, sea lettuce and sisho, paired with Manzanilla Soluqua from Bodegas Barón.
- Main: poached and flambéed quail, dry-aged for two weeks, stuffed with veal sweetbreads, with a quail liver, bone, spices and caramelised garlic sauce, and pickled chestnuts, candied kumquats and orange, paired with an Oloroso from Bodega Rey Fernando Castilla.
- Dessert: Ice cream served over caramelised ripe figs and brown butter, with peanut praline and sea salt, paired with a 20-year old Pedro Ximénez from Bodegas Tradición.
I have known about Sherry Wines since I was a child, my great-grandmother used to serve them at family meals, they give me confidence because they are closely related to my childhood’, commented Berntsen during the presentation of his paining suggestion to the jury on Tuesday at the Villamarta Theatre in Jerez. ‘We want to share our passion for pairing with these kinds of wines that have so many flavours and nuances’.
The X Copa Jerez International Final jury comprised six internationally renowned experts: Jancis Robinson (Master of Wine, wine writer and critic), Almudena Alberca (Master of Wine and winemaker), Melania Bellesini (sommelier at The Fat Duck***), Pascaline Lepeltier (writer and Best Sommelier in France 2018) and Josep Roca (sommelier and co-owner of El Celler de Can Roca***).
On the jury’s choice of the Danish team as the winner, Jancis Robinson stated that ‘the proposal stood out for the precision of the cooking, the apparent simplicity of dishes in which no ingredient was surplus to requirements, but in which the whole of each one made sense and which, of course, were delicious’. The wine writer also noted that ‘the succession of courses was characterised by a great progression and was complemented by a fantastic choice of wines, all of them with a story to tell.
Other prizes awarded at the X Copa Jerez International Final were:
Juli Soler Award for Best Sommelier: Gianluca di Taranto, A Cook & GTD Restaurant, Belgium.
Best Chef: Allan Schultz, Parsley Salon Restaurant, Denmark
Best Starter Pairing: Dinings SW3 restaurant, the UK. Cured red snapper, shiso emulsion, Yuzu koji vinaigrette, olive, shallot and pink peppercorns paired with Manzanilla Pasada almacenista Cuevas Jurado from Bodegas Lustau.
Best Main Course Pairing: Vigor* restaurant, the Netherlands. Sweetbread, eel and Vigor* ‘wasabi’ paired with Oloroso Gutiérrez Colosía.
Best Dessert Pairing: Ambivium restaurant, Spain. Fermented cacao, hazelnuts and tonka beans paired with Cream 79 “Bota NO” from Equipo Navazos.
Most Creative Pairing: brothers Daniele and Gabrielle Tortomsi, chef and sommelier, respectively, at the Ackermannshof* & Mandarin Oriental Savoy restaurants in Germany, who presented the jury with a menu in which grapes were the main ingredient of all the courses.
Copa Jerez has once again established itself as one of the most important gastronomic events on the calendar, not only at a national level but also in every corner of the planet. It is a space where Sherry Wine pairing reaches unprecedented dimensions. The winners, representatives of the Parsley Salon restaurant, stated that: ‘The competition has become a compulsory event on the gastronomic scene, and we are very proud to represent Denmark from Spain, a country where gastronomy plays a very important role. We have noticed a great evolution in the competition and also how the food and wine sectors have worked to make Sherry Wines evolve and position themselves as the great wines they are’.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COPA JEREZ 2023
3 & 4 October - Forum & Competition
Teatro Villamarta, Plaza Romero Martínez, 20, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
WEB - www.sherry.wine/es/copa-jerez
IG - @sherrywinesjerez TW - @VinosJerez
GRAPHIC MATERIAL:
About Copa Jerez
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, in what promised to be its most ambitious edition, Copa Jerez Forum & Competition, awarded Best International Wine Event at the International Wine Challenge Awards, brought together some of the most renowned professionals from the food and wine sector.
Two days of talks, tasting and sampling events, visits to wineries, entertainment, and the most impressive live cooking exhibition in the X[KN1] Copa Jerez International Final in which the best restaurants from seven countries competed live to achieve the best food and Sherry Wine pairings.
About Copa Jerez Forum
The talks began on the morning of 4th October at the Copa Jerez Forum, where some of the most prominent professionals of the day reflected on the wines from the Sherry Region through talks, round tables and exhibitions in an immersive experiential format.
About Copa Jerez Showroom
On Tuesday 3rd October from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the winery showroom brought together more than 30 producers from the Sherry Region at the Villamarta Theatre. It was a unique opportunity to discover more than 300 wines from the Sherry Region in an exceptional space under the wing of the winemakers from the very wineries that produce them. The idea of the showroom was to highlight the most unique aspects of Sherry Wine production and the latest trends in Sherry winemaking by inviting attendees to delve into the Sherry winemaking culture through tasting and interacting with the winemakers.
For more information
QMS Comunicación - +34913431286/87
Laura Palacio
laurapalacio@qmscomunicacion.com
+34690 65 05 98
Marta Domínguez
martadominguez@qmscomunicacion.com
+34658 29 17 61
[KN1]Ver comentario arriba. Así aparece en el original.
TODO LO QUE TIENES QUE SABER SOBRE COPA JEREZ 2023
3 y 4 de octubre - Forum & Competition
Teatro Villamarta, Pl. Romero Martínez, 20, Jerez de la Frontera
WEB - www.sherry.wine/es/copa-jerez
IG - @sherrywinesjerez TW - @VinosJerez
MATERIAL GRÁFICO:
Sobre Copa Jerez
Galardonado como Mejor Evento Internacional del Vino en los International Wine Challenge Awards, Copa Jerez Forum & Competition reunirá, con motivo de su 20 aniversario y en la que promete ser su edición más ambiciosa, a algunos de los más importantes profesionales del mundo de la gastronomía y el vino.
Dos jornadas de ponencias, catas, degustaciones, visitas a bodegas, espectáculos, y la más impactante exhibición de cocina en vivo con motivo de la final internacional de la X Copa Jerez en la que los mejores restaurantes de 7 países compiten en directo para conseguir la mejor armonía con vinos de Jerez.
Sobre Copa Jerez Forum
Las ponencias darán comienzo el 4 de octubre por la mañana en el marco del fórum de Copa Jerez, donde algunos de los más destacados profesionales del momento reflexionarán en torno a los vinos del Marco de Jerez a través de ponencias, mesas redondas y demostraciones con un formato inmersivo experiencial.
Sobre Copa Jerez Showroom
El showroom de bodegas reunirá el martes 3 de octubre de 10.30 a 16.00 h. en el Teatro Villamarta a más de 30 productores del Marco. Una oportunidad única para conocer más de 300 referencias del Marco de Jerez en un espacio diferente y de la mano de los enólogos de las bodegas productoras. La idea de este salón es poner de manifiesto los aspectos más singulares de la elaboración de estos vinos y las últimas tendencias de la enología jerezana, invitando a los asistentes a adentrarse en la cultura bodeguera jerezana a través de la cata y la interactuación con los elaboradores.
Para más información
QMS Comunicación - 913431286/87
Laura Palacio
laurapalacio@qmscomunicacion.com
690 65 05 98
Marta Domínguez
martadominguez@qmscomunicacion.com
658 29 17 61
