The contest consists of preparing a three-course menu consisting of a starter, a main course, and a dessert, each paired with a wine belonging to the “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry” and “Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda” Designations of Origin, and presenting it to the jury with a justification.
Participants must be teams composed of a chef and a sommelier, both actively working in a restaurant or catering company. It is not mandatory for the chef and sommelier to work in the same establishment.
During the competition, the sommelier must prepare the wines for service, ensuring they are at the right temperature, taking care of the glasses, presenting the bottles, etc. They must also serve the wines to the members of the jury and give a detailed description of each of the wines chosen, explaining the reasons why they have chosen them to pair with each of the dishes.
Throughout the competition, the chef will prepare the dishes to be served with each of the wines, for which he or she may only rely on the help of the sommelier and the assistance of the Organization's support staff for minor tasks.
In addition, during the presentation of the menu, the chef must give the jury a description of each of the proposed recipes, indicating the reasons why, in his opinion, the flavors, aromas, and textures of each dish pair well with the selected wines.
Contestants are completely free to choose each of the three sherry wines that will be used to accompany the different dishes; however, each team's wine selection may not include more than two brands from the same winery.
The Organization will provide the teams with three 75 cl bottles (or the equivalent amount if the bottles are smaller) of each of the wines chosen for the competition. To this end, the sommelier must communicate their selection to the Organization at least two months in advance.
Each team must provide the raw materials for preparing the three dishes that make up their proposals.
The number of tasting portions to be prepared will depend on the number of members on the jury.
Preparation and presentation rules
All preparation, cooking, and plating of the menu must be done on the day of the competition.
If a particular ingredient requires some type of prior preparation (marinating, especially long cooking, etc.) that makes it impossible to prepare it within the time stipulated for the competition, the chef must inform the Organization in advance so that it can approve the ingredient being provided with that prior preparation.
Servings to be prepared:
The number of tasting portions to be prepared will depend on the number of jury members, always reserving one for photography.
The order of presentations before the jury will be decided in advance by drawing lots in the presence of all participating teams.
Presentations before the jury may be made in Spanish or English, with translation available for jury members.
The jury will evaluate the proposals of the different teams based on the overall quality of the pairing menu presented, the degree of harmony between wine and dish, as well as the justification for each of the proposed pairings.
Service to the jury:
The sommelier will serve wine to the jury members before the dishes are brought out.
The dishes will then be served to each jury member, for which the teams will have two service staff from the Hospitality School, where applicable, or from the organization.
The change between services (dishes, glasses, etc.) will be carried out by staff from the Hospitality School, if applicable, or from the organization.
Presentation to the jury:
Each team will have a maximum of 10 minutes to present each of the dish and wine pairings, during which they must:
Present and explain the dish (chef).
The Organization provides participants with the kitchens and equipment necessary for the competition, as well as kitchen utensils, crockery, and tableware. However, participants may use other crockery or specific instruments provided by themselves, if they wish.