Copa Jerez NL 2024: Dutch Culinary & Sherry Pairing

Three finalist teams, three sherry pairings, one ticket to Jerez. The Copa Jerez NL 2024 finals at Peter Pan Kookstudio in Amsterdam brought the best Dutch chef-sommelier duos together to prove that sherry is anything but a side note. The competition was close, the dishes were striking, and the wine choices precise. A range of importers filled the tasting tables for good measure.

Understanding Copa Jerez

The essence of sherry-pairing is what Copa Jerez Forum & Competition is about, a globally recognized wine event held every two years. Chefs and sommeliers worldwide compete to create the best food and sherry pairings, highlighting the versatility and depth of sherry wines. But Copa Jerez is more than just a competition. It’s an educational experience featuring talks, tastings, and discussions led by top culinary experts. These sessions allow participants to delve into the nuances of sherry and enhance their understanding and appreciation for this distinguished wine.

Influence on Worldwide Food Trends

Copa Jerez plays a vital role in establishing global food trends by demonstrating the use of sherry in contemporary cuisine. The forum’s impact extends beyond the competition, promoting global chefs and food enthusiasts to incorporate this versatile wine into their dishes, thereby opening up avenues for innovative cooking.

Main Points from Previous Editions

The Dutch finals of Copa Jerez consistently feature top culinary and sommelier talents. Teams from top-tier restaurants such as Vigor and Podium Onder de Dom have previously demonstrated innovative sherry pairings, receiving praise for their creative and well-balanced menus.

Overview of the Finalist Teams

The finals at Peter Pan Kookstudio in Amsterdam this year featured intense competition between teams consisting of a chef and a sommelier. The three participating teams were: Sommelier Marvin Walraven and Chef Nino Christoffel from Zoldering, Amsterdam; Sommelier Stijn Hinke and Jean-Paul Witte from Restaurant Puur Sanh, Berg en Dal; and Sommelier Anne Marie Nijhoff and Chef Yornie van Dijk from Restaurant Basiliek, Harderwijk. All teams displayed innovative pairings, showcasing the impressive synergy between the sommelier and chef.

Tasting the range: sherries from Jerez

Alongside the competition, importers Karakter, Anfors, Andre Kerstens, and Granada Wijnen presented their selections. It is rare to taste twenty or thirty sherries back to back. These were the highlights.

Vino de Pasto ‘La Escribana’ 2022, Luis Pérez, Anfors

Beautiful, unfortified Vino de Pasto, part of Vino de Jerez, but officially not yet a sherry in the D.O. Sherry. This white wine made from Palomino Fino has a beautiful light yellow color and a lovely floral scent reminiscent of chamomile, just like a Fino, with the spiciness of curry and the sharpness of chili pepper. In addition, it has the aroma of wet stone, apple, lemon, and orange. The flavors are fresh and fruity, with a minerality and long finish. It is delicious as an aperitif and a perfect way to introduce people to the flavor palette of sherry but in a softer form.

Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz ‘Contratiempo’ 2022, 4ojoswines, Anfors

This is an exciting, somewhat wild, but especially energetic white wine made from Moscatel de Alejandría grapes. These grapes come from the vineyards of Finca La Blanquita, planted in albariza soils in El Puerto de Santa María. The fermentation takes place spontaneously in stainless steel tanks, after which yeast is added after a few days to stop the fermentation. The wine then matures for three months in these stainless steel tanks. No clarifying agents are used, resulting in a pure flavor profile. The end result is a dry, fresh, and flavorful wine with aromas of citrus, lime peel, cantaloupe melon, lychees, and apricots, complemented with a hint of jasmine and honey. The taste is quite soft, with pleasant acids and a slight bitterness. The characteristic salinity of the Albariza soil also comes forward.

La Retahíla 2022, Raul Moreno, Karakter wine import

This special orange wine is made from Perruno and aged in Amontillado barrels. It is light yellow and has a great wild scent of apple, pear, peach, and wet stone. The taste is full and beautifully balanced, fruity with minerality and peach. The aging in old Amontillado barrels provides structure and roundness. The finish is long and impressively complex.

Manzanilla Pasada en Rama ‘Xixarito’, Bodegas Baron, Karakter wine import

This Manzanilla is great, exactly as you want a Manzanilla to be: fresh, tight, floral, fruity. A real recommendation! You notice that the ten years of aging really makes a difference. ‘Pasada’ indicates the high age, and ‘en rama’ means that the wine is bottled directly from the barrel; unfiltered and not stabilized.

Soluqua Manzanilla Pasada’, Bodegas Baron, Karakter wine import

This is the Manzanilla from the premium range of Bodegas Baron, and you can tell. It has the same identity as the Xixarito but with more depth and complexity. This Manzanilla requires considerably more attention: a quiet environment, a good glass, and quick tasting is actually a waste. It has many elements of chamomile, minerality, apple, lemon, wet wool, walnut, hazelnut, and toast. It has a nice long finish that reveals more complexity with temperature difference. Due to the complexity and intensity, this is certainly not a Manzanilla to start with.

Sábalo Organic Palomino, Barbadillo, Granada Wines

This is a beautiful white wine made from Palomino, which is organically certified. It is a pure and really fresh wine. The taste contains a lot of fresh green apple, salinity, a sweet red apple, lemon peel, a nice medium body, and a long finish. This interesting white wine is made from grapes from two areas. One area around Sanlúcar de Barrameda with 35-year-old vines is close to the Atlantic Ocean. The other area, with 25-year-old vines, is on the hills near the ‘floodplains’ of the Guadalquivir River. The name Sábalo is the name of the sea fish, which in Dutch is called Elft, and which spawns in the river mouth.

Manzanilla en rama Salicornia, Barbadillo, Granada Wines

A discovery. This is a test bottle, at this point the only one in the Netherlands. A sublimely made Manzanilla en Rama with fresh chamomile, concentrated chamomile honey, green and red apple, and lime peel. It feels light but sits at 15%. This one cannot reach the Dutch market fast enough.

Three menus that made the difference

From Puur Sanh’s fully plant-based approach to Zoldering’s land-and-sea combinations and Basiliek’s precision plates, each team brought a distinct culinary logic. Photos by Buro Food.

Pur Sanh

Starter: Leek Mosaic with Leek, Tiger Tomato, Hazelnut, Seaweed, and Sage. Sherry: Bodega Tradicion Fino

Main Course: The Wonders of Mother Earth, Celeriac, Pecan nuts, truffle, miso, and soy sauce. Sherry: Hidalgo la Gitana Palo Cortado ‘Wellington’VOS

Dessert: Honey I’m Home, Cepes, Chocolate, blackberry, buckthorn, and our own plant-based chamomile-tea-honey with a Coffee residue caramel. Sherry: Gonzalez Byass Medium Palo Cortado ‘Apostoles’ VORS

Zoldering

Starter: Langoustine, Crab Bisque, Jasmine, and Ginger. Sherry: Juan Piñero - Maruja Manzanilla

Main Course: Duck, Fennel, Blue Cheese, Kumquat, Bacon and Umeboshi Sherry: Rey Fernando de Castilla - Antique Amontillado

Dessert: Tabacco & Vanilla, Cloves & Sechzuan Pepper Caramel, Yoghurt and Orange. Sherry: Ximénez-Spínola - Pedro Ximénèz - Medium Old Harvest NV

Basiliek

Starter: Cuttiefish from the North Sea, cream of Zolderspek, Zolderspek crunch, Camomile-citrus gel, Fermented sugar lettuce broth with chamomile, and black garlic cream. Sherry: Manzanilla Pasada Blanquito Viña la Callejuela

Main Course: Mushrooms from the Veluwe with duxelles of mushrooms, nashi pear, and roasted mushroom broth with sourdough powder. Sherry: Jerez Oloroso V.O.R.S. 30 years from Bodegas Tradición.

Dessert: Caviar with tuille of browned butter, cream of toasted chocolate, vanilla ice cream, and a hazelnut crunch. Sherry: ‘Old Harvest’ Jerez by Ximénez-Spínola

Evaluation and scores

The jury, which included prominent members such as Heleen Boom and Adrian Zarzo Habraken, evaluated the presentations on creativity, taste, and sherry integration. The winning team will represent the Netherlands in the Jerez de la Frontera international finals.

And the winner is…..

Sommelier Anne Marie Nijhoff and chef Yornie van Dijk of Restaurant Basiliek in Harderwijk convinced the jury and can call themselves the winners of the Copa Jerez 2024 in the Netherlands. The ambassador of Spain presented the winners with the official prize. The sommelier and chef’s combination and synergy were remarkable. Their passion for creating the best combinations was clearly visible. The main course was excellent. Anne Marie and Yornie look forward to the opportunity to represent the Netherlands at the Copa Jerez 2025 in Jerez, Spain. I had the opportunity to taste the dishes, and they were excellent. The balance between the dish and the Vino de Jerez was spot on, allowing the sherry to express its potential fully.

According to Jury Chairman Heleen Boom:

“The three teams consisting of chef and sommelier presented the jury with challenging and surprising combinations with sherry in the lead role. Jury chairman Heleen Boom explains: “The three teams of this edition presented powerful combinations, the level was exceptionally high. Restaurant Zoldering made a big impression with the main course of duck, combined with an Antique Amontillado, and the dessert ‘Honey I’m home’ from Restaurant Puur Sanh, combined with a Medium Palo Corrado was the best of the three. However, Restaurant Basiliek managed to convince us across the board with a presentation of layered dishes that were excellently supported by their sherry pairings. An overall impressive display that did justice to the gastronomic power of sherry.”

The closing word

Copa Jerez NL 2024 confirmed what the Dutch culinary scene has been proving for years. The competition was tight; three high-calibre teams showed that sherry is far more than tradition. Anne Marie Nijhoff and Yornie van Dijk of Restaurant Basiliek will represent the Netherlands in Jerez de la Frontera at Copa Jerez 2025. The road there runs through the best pairings, sharpest palates, and unrestrained passion.