The 2026 Copa Jerez UK, organised by Sherry Wine, drew an impressive number of entries from teams across the UK, including Scotland, Yorkshire and Northumberland. But in the end the judging panel had to reduce the 11 competing pairs down to three who are:
- Chef Aaron Blais and sommelier Léonard Lievin from The Ritz.
- Chef Higinio Machado and sommelier Ben Cardwell from Labombe by Trivet.
- Chef Karl O'Dell and sommelier Jiachen Lu from Cord by Le Cordon Bleu.
The three teams will present their expertly crafted menus paired with Sherry wines to judges at the live finals to be held on September 28 at Orrery by Pierre Minotti in Marylebone in London.
The judges tasked with making the final decision are chef Pierre Minotti, who recently became executive chef at Orrery by Pierre Minotti having achieved 2 Michelin stars at Alex Dilling at the Hotel Café Royal, Spanish sommelier Julio Sierra, group senior sommelier at The Evolv Collection, and 2024 Copa Jerez UK winning sommelier Zoé Donadio.
The judging panel was chaired by drinks consultant and restaurant writer, Douglas Blyde, who said: “Reducing eleven entries to three was agonising. I returned to several repeatedly because some of those left out contained ideas I would have happily eaten and drunk’.
During the UK final the three teams will prepare and cook their dishes from scratch and present them to the judges alongside their proposed Sherry wine pairings.
The teams and their menus are:
The Ritz
“Flavours of Pintxos”
Orkney Scallop
Manzanilla Gabriela, Bodegas Sánchez Ayala
“The Ritz Cádiz”
Pigeon “À la Presse” with Petit Pois “A la España”
Oloroso Don Nuño, Lustau
“Peachy Cheesecake”
Peach, Almond, Lemon Verbena Baron Bigod Cheesecake
Moscatel Dorado, César Florido
Labombe by Trivet
Pici with clams
Cream VOS 20 Years, Bodegas Tradición
Sea bream with courgette & brown butter hollandaise
S. Roberto Amontillado Bota Única 2/2, Bodegas Barbadillo
Almond sablé with goat's dairy & smoked hojicha
30 Year VORS Palo Cortado, Lustau
Cord by Le Cordon Bleu
“Langoustine”
Claw Cannelloni, Chorizo Crisps, Sundried Tomato & Bok Choy, Amontillado Bouillabaisse
La Honda Amontillado En Rama, Osborne
“Pigeon”
Black Pudding, Pigeon Leg & Sherry Pie, Girolles, Green Peppercorn Sauce
Cuco Oloroso VORS, Bodegas Barbadillo
“Cherry”
Foie Gras Ice Cream, Cherry & PX Jam, Pain d’Epices, Piment d'Espelette
Cream VOS 20 years, Bodegas Tradición
Blyde said that although the judging process was incredibly difficult in the end there were some clear areas of difference that allowed the judges to pick their final three.
As he explains: “These finalists made the most complete case for Sherry. From The Ritz, chef Aaron Blais and sommelier Léonard Lievin have treated the dining room as an extension of the kitchen: scallop dressed at the table, pigeon carved and pressed, peach finished before the judges. Their wines travel from Sanlúcar through Jerez to Chipiona with intelligence, without straining to show it. Three tableside finishes leave little tolerance for delay, but if the timing holds, this could be magnificent.”
He added: “Labombe’s chef Higinio Machado and sommelier Ben Cardwell submitted the menu I am most curious to taste. Cream Sherry with clam pici opens the meal; dry Palo Cortado with goat’s dairy and smoked hojicha closes it. The Cream’s sweetness is checked by the clams’ salinity and the pasta’s weight, while the dessert refuses the automatic comfort of sugar with sugar. Its success will depend on measure: enough sweetness and smoke to intrigue, never so much that we can see the cleverness working.”
Jiachen Lu and chef Gail Ge’er of Dingings were the 2022 winners of the Copa Jerez UK final
The third finalist will see sommelier Jiachen Lu, who was a Copa Jerez UK champion in 2022 team up with Cord by Le Cordon Blue chef Karl O’Dell.
Blyde said of their entry: “Amontillado meets langoustine and chorizo; Oloroso takes on pigeon and black pudding; Cream faces cherry and foie gras. It is lavish, confident cooking, and the Sherries will cope - the question is whether our palates will. If Karl and Jiachen find sufficient freshness, spice and proportion, this could be formidable.”
Copa Jerez is a bi-annual international culinary competition. Organised by Sherry Wine and ICEX, it encourages chef and sommelier teams to explore Sherry’s versatility and food pairing potential by creating a three-course menu perfectly matched with a range of Sherry wines.
As well as the UK event similar competitions are also taking place in seven other countries with each competing nation choosing their individual winner to go through to the overall Copa Jerez final to be held in Jerez in June 2027. The event forms part of the Copa Jerez Forum & Competition, widely recognised as the world’s leading gastronomic congress dedicated to Sherry wines.
The two runner-up teams will be awarded places on the Certified Sherry Educator Course in Jerez in 2027—a three-day immersive programme culminating in the opportunity to gain the highly regarded Sherry Educator qualification.
The Copa Jerez UK 2026 final will be held at Orrery by Pierre Minotti
César Saldaña, president of the Consejo Regulador de Jerez y Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda, says: ’We are absolutely thrilled to launch our UK competition and announce that Orrery by Pierre Minotti will be the home of the XII Copa Jerez UK Finals 2026. We would like to thank Orrery and chef Pierre Minotti for hosting this year’s competition. Their impressive wine programme and commitment to creative cuisine of the highest standard reflect the spirit of Copa Jerez perfectly.”
To find out more follow @sherrywinesjerez #copajerez #sherrylover.
