Cheval Blanc Restaurant Wins Copa Jerez in the Netherlands

The chef and sommelier team will represent their country at the international Copa Jerez finals in Jerez de la Frontera, in 2019

The Netherlands Copa Jerez 2018 was recently held in Amsterdam, coinciding with the Gastronomy-Fine Food Professional trade fair for restaurant and wine professionals. Four restaurants competed for the coveted title and the chance to represent their country at the International Copa Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, in 2019.

Cheval Blanc, located in Heemstede, was the winner of this fierce competition, and Spanish Ambassador María Jesús Alonso Jiménez announced the winner on behalf of the panel of judges.

The team from Cheval Blanc, made up of chef Jelle Hogeboom and sommelier Kim Reisig, prepared the following dishes: North Sea crab, scallop, almond and chanponzu, paired with Manzanilla La Kika from Bodegas Yuste; beef cheek, chanterelles and duck liver, paired with Palo Cortado de la Cruz de 1767 from Bodegas Arfe; and fermented chocolate with hazelnuts and figs, paired with an oloroso sherry from Bodegas Urium.

Those in attendance received a special treat following the competition: a master class on sherry wines, led by none other than César Saldaña, President of the Regulatory Council for DO Jerez-Xérès-Jerez, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda.