The city of Jerez de la Frontera is at the heart of the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO that shares its name. This is one the oldest wine-producing regions in Spain, thought to have been established by the Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago.

The old part of the city is built around the medieval Moorish fortress of the Alcázar and the 17th-century Christian cathedral. But the region’s distinctive architecture owes much to another kind of cathedral: the old bodegas or ‘Sherry cathedrals’, typically built during the zenith of the Sherry industry in the 19th century.

Jerez is also famous for its Feria del Caballo (which took place on 4-11 May this year), a traditional spring fair that reflects the city’s twin obsessions: wine and horses. Flamenco is also part of the local culture – there is an annual festival fortnight in February-March and it also features heavily in the Tío Pepe cultural summer festival.

The Fiestas de la Vendimia, or harvest festival, takes place over two weeks in early September. The festival program offers a range of wine and cultural activities, including grape treading, wine tasting, masterclasses, exhibitions and bodega tours.

Tabancos – old wine and tobacco shops, converted into small bars – are an important part of social life in the city. Some, like well-known El Pasaje and El Guitarrón de San Pedro, include live flamenco, while others, such as Las Bandarillas and Plateros, are lively spots for traditional tapas and, of course, Sherry wines.

Bodega visits

Be sure to book your winery visits in advance. Some of the region’s biggest players are centrally located in Jerez de la Frontera, including Lustau, González Byass and the increasingly popular Bodegas Tradición with its impressive private art collection and splendid range of long-aged VOS and VORS Sherries.

Other, lesser-known bodegas are also ripe for discovery and these hold their own treasures. Norwegian Jan Pettersen realised a long-held dream when he acquired the prestigious Fernando de Castilla bodega in 1999. The producer’s Antique range is sublime, and each year the spring bottling of fino en rama (drawn directly from cask, bottled unfined and unfiltered) is not to be missed. Small group visits can be arranged, Monday to Friday by appointment.

Bodegas Faustino González is a family affair. In 1972, the late Faustino González Aparicio (a doctor) purchased soleras dating back to 1789 from the Alcázar of Jerez, adding them to the bodega owned by his wife Carmen; today their 12 children are all partners in the business, with son Jaime González at the helm and two others actively involved. All of their artisan Sherries are bottled en rama. Visits are available by appointment.

Ximénez Spínola produces wines exclusively using Pedro Ximénez, with an impressive range that includes still wines and dry Sherry, as well as the intensely sweet style typical of PX. Wines are typically made in small, limited-edition batches. Visits are available Monday to Friday, by appointment.

Day trips

The region’s two other key traditional centres of production, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María, are also two of the easiest day trips by public transport from Jerez de la Frontera. Seafood, beaches, charming old towns and (more) Sherry are all just a short train or bus ride away. Sanlúcar de Barrameda is situated on the estuary of the Guadalquivir river, northwest of Jerez. The humid, maritime microclimate here results in a thicker layer of flor – the yeast cells that settle on top of the wine in a barrel and protect it from contact with air – integral to the refreshing and delicate style of manzanilla wines.

Bodegas worth a visit include stellar names such as Barbadillo, Hidalgo La Gitana and Delgado Zuleta. Other highlights include Bodegas Argüeso and the exceptional range by Fran Ascencio at Bodegas Alonso.

Sanlúcar is renowned for its seafood. Try the local prawns at Casa Bigote on Bajo de Guía while watching the boats returning at dusk, and tortillitas de camarones (crispy prawn fritters) at the famous Casa Balbino in Plaza del Cabildo. Bota Punta is a relative newcomer, popular for its seasonal menu, which changes almost daily.

Visit Mercado de Abastos market, close to Plaza del Cabildo, and climb the steep street up to the 15th-century Castillo de Santiago for sprawling views of the town and estuary. If you visit in August, don’t miss the Sanlúcar horse races along the beach.

About 15km to the southwest of Jerez is El Puerto de Santa María, on the Bay of Cádiz. Lustau, part of the Caballero group since 1990, is the only Sherry producer with wineries located in all three of the key Sherry cities; visit its winery at El Puerto’s San Marcos castle (two-hour tour and tasting: adults €16, children €5), close to the riverfront.

A morning at Sherry powerhouse Osborne also includes access to its Toro art gallery. Or if you’re after a more boutique experience, visit fourth-generation Bodega Gutiérrez Colosía at its cosy riverside winery, followed by Sherry and tapas tasting at daughter Carmen’s boho restaurant Bespoke next door.

Exploring ‘new’ Sherry country

The Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO consejo regulador, first established in 1935, recently made some historic changes. In October 2022, the DO announced an expansion of the Sherry maturation zone beyond the three main cities that form what has in the past been thought of as the ‘Sherry Triangle’. The boundaries of the region’s production and maturation zones have been realigned, so that it forms more of a Sherry ‘rectangle’. Previously, bodegas in the six ‘new’ towns of Lebrija, Trebujena, Chipiona, Rota, Puerto Real and Chiclana could only grow grapes and produce base wine under the auspices of the DO.

Alongside these and other regulatory changes, six grape varieties that were quite common in the region pre-phylloxera (which arrived here in 1894) have been authorised for Sherry production and are being reintroduced. It’s an exciting time for the region as it expands and evolves.

Lebrija, Trebujena, Chipiona, Rota, Puerto Real and Chiclana are pretty, whitewashed towns, each only about half an hour’s drive from Jerez de la Frontera. Below are three of the six that offer winery or wine museum visits, but local wines can be tasted in the bars and restaurants of all six towns.

Lebrija

Just off the main N-4 road from Jerez to Seville, Lebrija is a medieval market town with charming white houses overlooking the Guadalquivir marshes. Bodegas Halcón offers visits by appointment; visits to Bodegas González Palacios (@lebrijavinos) are available on Saturday mornings by appointment.

Chiponia

A popular tourist destination, known for its seafood and vast, soft-sand beaches, Chipiona sits on alluvial and sandy soils rather than the region’s famed albariza (which is a mixture of chalk, limestone, clay and sand), and the main variety here is Moscatel, used in sweet Sherries. Keep an eye out for the wines of César Florido and José Mellado Martín, and be sure to stop in at the Museo del Moscatel..

Chiclana de la Frontera

Down south, just past the Bay of Cádiz and near the Sancti Petri wetlands, Chiclana is also known for its excellent beaches. Pay a visit to Bodegas Primitivo Collantes and Bodega Manuel Aragón by appointment. A useful resource is La Ruta del Vino y el Brandy del Marco de Jerez, a non-profit association that compiles information on wineries and wine-tourism activities in the DO.

Jerez & Sherry: The facts

Planted area 6,618ha (subject to revision)

Main soil types Albariza, clay, sand

Appellations Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Vinagre de Jerez

Annual production 383,000hl

Main grapes Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel de Alexandria, and the reintroduced varieties of Beba, Vigiriega/Vejeriego, Perruno, Cañocazo, Mantúo Castellano and Mantúo de Pilas

[SOURCE: JEREZ-XERES-SHERRY DO]

Your Jerez address book

Accommodation

Casa Palacio María Luisa

This 5-star luxury hotel won the 2024 World Travel Awards category for leading boutique hotel in Spain. It’s located in the old city and is organised around a stunning central tiled courtyard. The rooms are decorated in a classic contemporary style and the hotel has its own restaurant, secluded garden and swimming pool.

Hotel Palacio Corredera

This charming hotel in a converted convent is just a short walk from both the city centre and the train station. It’s minimalist luxury in style, with modern, spacious rooms and suites facing onto a light-filled inner patio.

La Gitanilla Alojamiento & Encanto

This lovingly restored house dates back to 1865. Today, it offers modern comfort in a traditional setting. The central location is hard to beat. Expect personal service and a unique Jerezano experience, including a 24-hour Sherry honour bar and a terrace with views of the cathedral.

Restaurants and bars

El Bichero

Having established a reputation as a seafood temple in the centre of Jerez, El Bichero has since moved to larger and more elegant premises on the eastern outskirts of the city. Open daily from midday.

La Carboná

Run by the ‘Sherry chef’ Javier Muñoz, La Carboná is set in a beautifully restored Sherry bodega – a vast yet cosy space, dominated by a large fireplace. Located in the city centre and open for lunch and dinner daily except Tuesdays. lacarbona.com

Mantúa

A one-star Michelin restaurant that offers two seasonal tasting menus in an elegant six-table dining room. Service is impeccable without being stuffy. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday.

Shopping

La Casa del Jerez

La Casa stocks an extensive range of Sherry wines, vermouth and brandy. It also hosts regular tastings and will ship purchases internationally. Open Monday-Friday 9.30am-2.30pm/5.30-8.30pm, Saturday 9.30am-2.30pm.

La Sibarita Wines

Close to the Mercado de Abastos, this brand new gourmet food and wine shop on Plaza Esteve is run by a passionate and knowledgeable young team. It stocks excellent Sherries and brandies as well as local table wines. Enjoy with a tapa on their terrace. Open Monday-Friday 9.45am-2pm, Saturday 10am-2pm.

How to get there

There are frequent direct flights to Seville (one hour away by train) and some direct European flights to Jerez. A car is easiest for visiting bodegas, but some are also accessible by public transport.

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Launched during the pandemic by family-owned wine company González Byass, the world’s first ‘Sherry hotel’ encompasses a collection of former cellar-worker cottages in the Old Town, and practically overlooks the 180-year-old Tío Pepe winery.

Nearby wineries and the city’s main sites attract guests all year round. You’ll find the ornate 17th-century grand cathedral opposite the hotel and the 11th-/12th-century Moorish alcázar fortress just down the street. A five-minute amble brings you to Jerez’s main thoroughfares packed with shops, restaurants, tapas bars and tabancos, the city’s hyper-local taverns known for Sherry served from casks. To dial into the rhythm of Jerez, catch a fiery flamenco show in the evening.

Balancing space, light and art

With the main staircase as a focal point, the property’s guest rooms, suites and communal areas are dispersed around romantic terraces and courtyards. High ceilings, graceful arches, organic textiles and whitewashed walls create space and light in the 27 elegantly appointed rooms.

Rooms range in size and view, with a few boasting private balconies and suites offering separate lounges: all feature original beamed ceilings, antique furniture and hand-selected artworks. Within the roomy bathrooms, you can rinse off the day’s heat in your walk-in rain shower and rehydrate parched skin with organic toiletries from Spanish brand Uvas Frescas. The beautifully manicured grounds feature a fountain surrounded by colourful bougainvillaeas and glossy-leaved orange trees.

On the roof, an expansive terrace replete with loungers and a dipping pool beckons guests from day to night. Potted banana palms accent the space, along with a handful of slingback chairs, umbrellas and tables. At sunset, staff man the bar, pouring Sherry, cocktails and wine while a live musician strums a Spanish guitar to complete the dreamy setting.

If you’re bent on fitness beyond city strolls, a compact gym off the rooftop should do the trick. You’ll find cardio equipment, free weights and mats for stretching and yoga.

For additional needs, ask the helpful staff at the front desk, which is open 24 hours a day. They’re happy to arrange on-site massages, restaurant reservations and tastings at Tío Pepe and nearby bodegas.

Wine and gastronomy

In the land of Andalucían cuisine, the restaurant’s gastronomic flair and deep wine cellar shine. Thanks to chef Alejandro Bazán, the hotel restaurant Pedro Nolasco holds its own in flavour and freshness against the city’s heavyweight newcomers, each with a Michelin star, Mantúa and Lú Cocina y Alma.

On a clear night, you’ll want a table on the terrace overlooking the cathedral. Start with a glass of Tres Palmas fino and a platter of glistening Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, or acorn-fed Iberian ham. Under the ‘life is sharing’ menu, try crunchy prawns with a perfectly poached egg wrapped in razor-thin pork jowl. Pork enthusiasts should carry on with a main dish of cochinillo asado or roast suckling pig in a mango-spiked sweet and sour palo cortado sauce. Otherwise, the gently charred octopus offers a taste of the nearby Gulf of Cadiz.

In the morning, the hotel serves breakfast in Pedro Nolasco’s quiet, leafy gardens. The menu includes coffee, freshly-squeezed orange juice, eggs cooked to order, local pastries and mollete bread paired with jamón and local cheese.

Save one afternoon for a winery tour, whether the introductory experience, a technical tasting or an in-depth look at VORS. Founded in 1835, Bodegas Tío Pepe remains one of Spain’s most prestigious Sherry wineries. To get there, look for the mural of the brand’s icon – a fino bottle donning a tilted red hat, jacket and guitar – which marks the trellised corridor. The basic tour ends with two glasses of Sherry and the lingering question of when you’ll return to Jerez.

For more information, visit Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe

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Imagine, for a second, that you’ve been told about a region where, for decades, wine production had been focused on churning out huge volumes of non-vintage bottlings. While many people loved the consistency afforded by the homogeneity of these wines, others had been seduced by wines from more innovative regions.

Scroll down to see top picks from Jerez

Over time, producers began to feel trapped by the constraints of making and marketing the same wines each year, and started to seek excitement in the creation of vintage wines and cuvées produced from grapes grown in single vineyards. Small boutique producers began to flourish alongside industry behemoths, and wines that had spent years slumbering quietly in cellars were finally bottled and sold.

If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re reading Decanter’s guide to Spain (2022 supplement), you could easily conclude that the passages above were a historical description of Champagne (other than, perhaps, the bit about people drifting off to pastures new). But it all makes sense when you realise that these changes have been taking place in Spain’s far southwest, in Jerez.

For years, Sherries largely passed under the fine-wine radar, a situation exacerbated by enduring perceptions of these wines as being predictable and unchanging. Now the winds of change are blowing through Jerez, rewarding aficionados with increasing diversity and some seriously world-class wines.

Rediscovering en ramas

Arguably, the first Sherries to generate a real buzz were the en ramas. These lightly filtered wines, with a greater degree of zestiness and flavour than the norm, were largely unknown outside Spain – although they were not new to the Jerezanos themselves, who have a long tradition of pitching up at their local bodegas to buy their finos and manzanillas straight from the butt.

‘There had been en ramas before,’ acknowledges Melissa Draycott, managing director of Gonzalez Byass UK, the company whose Tio Pepe En Rama 2010 was a groundbreaker in terms of popularising the style. ‘But no one had really made a noise about them. The excitement about Sherry seemed to kick off around that time, and since then there’s been a growing thirst for interesting and different products.’

Ever since, the Jerezanos have been rising to the challenge of meeting increasing demand for variety – and biologically aged Sherries (finos and manzanillas) are now at ground zero for many of the most fundamental changes. A key trend here is the growing respect for Jerez’s terroir, and a renewed focus on single-vineyard wines.

Vineyards & grapes

According to Francisco Lopez, export director of Bodegas Luis Pérez, one of the producers spearheading the move towards vineyard-focused wines, this interest in specific sites marks a return to the values of the past. ‘We first zonified our pagos in the 18th century according to their climate and soils, but in the mid-1970s we moved from artisanal to industrial production and took a commercial decision to blend every vineyard into one single solera,’ he explains.

‘When you get to a fork in the road and take the wrong path, you need to retrace your steps in order to get yourself back on the right one,’ he says. ‘That’s what we’re doing now – adapting our traditions to incorporate contemporary knowledge and understanding.’

The one-size-fits-all approach was also applied to grape varieties; dry Sherries in Jerez have long been synonymous with Palomino Fino. In fact, more than 95% of the region’s vineyards are planted with this one variety. But, once again, Jerez is moving back to the future, and growers are beginning to replant pre-phylloxera varieties such as Beba, Mantuo Castellano and Vigiriega, and to explore the potential of Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel to make dry as well as sweet styles.

While it will take time for these grapes to make their presence felt in the region’s wines, an alternative approach to viticulture is already making an impact. Traditionally, Sherries are made from grapes grown on high-yielding vines – thus diluting both flavour and sugar accumulation. However, some producers are now using their best sites (and lower yields) to create wines that don’t need to be fortified prior to being aged under flor for several months.

Unfortified wines

‘If you make stock by putting your ingredients in a pot with four litres of water, you’re going to get a different result than if you put the same ingredients in with 500 litres of water,’ Lopez points out. ‘It’s the same with Sherry. In the fortified Sherries, you get an empty mid-palate, then warmth from the alcohol on the finish. If the wines aren’t fortified, though, the additional concentration fills the mid-palate, and you’re going to have more layers of flavour and structure, and the balance means that you won’t experience the heat of the alcohol.’

Owen Morgan, director of the 44 Group, a small chain of tapas bars and restaurants, points to the accessibility of these unfortified wines as a reason for their growing success. ‘They’ve got all the minerality and salinity that you get from contact with the yeast, but they’re still white wines that you can sip in your garden,’ he says.

Producers in the region are currently working with the local consejo regulador with the aim of allowing these unfortified wines to be recognised legally as part of the Jerez-Xérèz-Sherry DO. But, for now, the wines must be bottled under regional or IGP designations.

Unique bottlings

Innovation is, perhaps, less obvious when it comes to Jerez’s oxidative styles, but look closely and there’s plenty to get excited about. An exploration of these wines might begin with Gonzalez Byass’ annual release of the Palmas, which charts the progression of Sherry from fino to amontillado via four separate bottlings of wines at different stages along the evolutionary pathway. After that, you could perhaps move on to añadas, vintage wines that recapitulate Jerez’s tradition of bottling wines from individual years rather than solera blending.

Alternatively, well-heeled Sherry buffs might get a kick out of exploring the growing number of single-cask bottlings. These wines are the unexpected dividends of the Jerezanos’ long slumber in the doldrums of the fine-wine market, which left many wines maturing tranquilly in the quiet cul-de-sacs of Jerez’s Sherry ‘cathedrals’. Both large-scale producers such as Barbadillo, with its Reliquia bottlings, and smaller almacenistas including Equipo Navazos, whose raison d’être is to seek out outstanding individual barrels for limited-edition bottlings, are now involved in rediscovering some of these incredibly collectible treasures.

These wines are, of course, far pricier than the Sherries you’ll find on the supermarket shelves, but as Laurence Walker, a buyer at London’s Hedonism Wines, points out: ‘They offer mad value compared with anything else in the wine world. They’ve got flavour profiles you won’t see anywhere else and some of them have incredible age for [relatively] very little money.’

The pace of change in the once-sedate world of Sherry is picking up speed, and while the range of wines now available may initially appear baffling, there are rich rewards to be had. As Morgan points out: ‘From a wine lover’s perspective, Sherry has never been more exciting.’

Dynamic Jerez: Hughes’ 10 to explore

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Which region produces the finest white wines in the world? Burgundy? Sancerre? Mosel? Santorini? Whatever you think, probably the last place you’re likely to propose is Jerez. But for the past few years, a new chapter in this region’s convoluted history has been unfolding.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Smith’s top dozen unfortified Jerez wines

What’s happening now amounts to a reversal of 200 years of tradition – of fortifying Sherry wines with brandy and relying on oxidative or biological ageing (see below) to determine wine style.

Look around the Marco de Jerez area of southwestern Spain and you will see a flowering of terroir-focused projects, born of a dedication to the Sherry that existed pre-fortification. You will also see experimentation from winemakers who sense a kind of magic in the twin treasures of Palomino and albariza soil – without a solera [the traditional system of barrel ageing and fractional blending of wines across several vintages] in sight.

The history books tell us that during Sherry’s ‘golden age’ (early- to mid-19th century), many bodegas began to ship finos, amontillados and olorosos around the world in prodigious volumes.

What they don’t say is that, back in Andalucía, the Jerezanos were enjoying unfortified wines made from the many grape varieties which then grew in the region. Even later, when historic wineries such as Agustín Blázquez and De La Riva were at the height of their fame and highlighting Sherries from specific vineyard sites, locally produced unfortified wines – known as vinos de pasto – were all the rage, with the best of them commanding high prices.

Skip forward to the 20th century and as foreign demand for fortified Sherry grew, while the price domestically became more affordable, vinos de pasto were virtually forgotten. It’s a sign of how far things changed that, in 1964, when Barbadillo introduced its Castillo de San Diego unfortified Palomino into the market, the locals cried heresy.

By the 1970s – the historic peak of Sherry production – the only conversation relating to Sherry was about barrel ageing and flor: the film of yeasts that forms naturally on the surface of certain Sherry wines in the barrel, providing protection from the effects of oxidation to enable ‘biological ageing’.

Historical inspiration

It took an intervention from renowned Portuguese winemaker Dirk Niepoort to steer people’s attention back to white wines. Working with Jesús Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda of Equipo Navazos, Niepoort released the first vintage of Navazos Niepoort in 2008, a flor-aged unfortified Palomino from the historic pago (vineyard area) of Macharnudo. This is now recognised as the turning point for unfortified Palomino as a premium, site-specific wine.

‘If you could taste the Navazos Niepoort 2008… It’s fantastic – perfect Palomino,’ says Luis (aka Willy) Pérez, of Bodegas Luis Pérez, who, with his long-time friend and collaborator Ramiro Ibañez [of producer Cota 45 and a consultant for many others] is more responsible than most for the rediscovery of this extraordinary terroir story.

In 2008, Pérez was working in Australia. He was trying to understand how to produce reds in a hot climate. Then he stumbled across a book written in 1833 by James Busby, the father of Australian wine. Busby had visited Andalucía to learn about planting a vineyard in Australia and had interviewed Pedro Domecq who, along with Manuel Maria González Angel (founder of González Byass), was considered the prima causa of the ‘Big Sherry’ we know today.

‘What I was reading was crazy,’ Pérez explains. ‘These people were not talking about biological ageing, about criaderas and soleras – not a word! They were talking about grapes, about different soils, about how to develop the vineyard, ripening of grapes, pressing – everything related to my generation. And these ideas were from the founding fathers of Sherry!’

For Pérez, this was life-changing. ‘What we discovered was gold. We discovered a new kind of Sherry, a new kind of viticulture, a new kind of winemaking – and that’s what we have been making since then.’

Palomino pioneers

The first generation to produce true-terroir, unfortified Sherries at the beginning of the 20th century included figures such as the Marqués de Domecq, Count Aldama and Gumersindo Fernández de la Rosa. Pérez and Ibañez could be regarded as the second generation, making not only unfortified Sherry but also straight-up fine white wines. Their work ranges from educating the third generation about the historic vineyard parcel and pago classifications (these were already established in the 18th century) to consulting with other winemakers, wineries and growers

– encouraging them to make their own white wines. They are the students-turned-teachers of this Sherry revolution.

Currently, there are about 20 such projects (Pérez believes it needs 50 ‘to make the region great again’), each with its own approach. Some are at the crossover point of Sherry and white wine: some age with flor, others do not; some age in Sherry butts, others in French oak or steel, even clay. What unites them is an appreciation of Palomino’s ability to transmit the subtleties of albariza soil and Jerez terroir more generally. One of the most significant entrants into this field is Muchada-Léclapart – established in 2017 by Cádiz-born Alejandro Muchada and Champagne producer David Léclapart. Muchada works with 3ha of vines, mainly in Miraflores Alta and Miraflores Baja in Sanlúcar, where proximity to the sea means cooler temperatures and longer ripening than Jerez, with more Atlantic expression and ‘verticality’ in the wines. His dedication to working in the vineyard, learning from the old mayetos (peasant farmers) of Sanlúcar, has yielded profound Palominos.

But there are a host of other exciting projects. Callejuela in Sanlúcar is a former almacenista (wholesaler) which, in addition to an excellent range of Sherries, produces unfortified Palominos that reveal the terroir differences between pagos located in Jerez and Sanlúcar. Similarly, Primitivo Collantes in Chiclana, from a bodega of the same name formed in 1889, was one of the first to explore the nebulous zone between white wines, sobretablas (the top row of barrels of youngest wines in the solera system) and biologically aged Sherry. The ubiquitous Ibañez has consulted for both historic wineries.

Younger entrants are more experimental, often flying the natural wine flag. Alejandro Narváez and Rocío Aspera of Bodega Forlong – the only organically certified winery in El Puerto de Santa María – highlight the traditional asoleo (sun-dried) style of unfortified Palomino with their La Fleur cuvée. In San Fernando, brothers José and Miguel Gómez of Vinifícate make distinctive, unembellished Palomino without added sulphur from biodynamic vineyards in Sanlúcar, Jerez and Chiclana. Meanwhile, an exciting new face is Raúl Moreno, whose Vinos Oceánicos natural wines – all raised in amphorae – are groundbreaking. Ibañez has also had a hand in forming the Mayetería Sanluqueña – Sanlúcar grape-growers who have come together to preserve the low-yielding old Palomino vines of some of the most famous pagos of Jerez and Sanlúcar (Añina, Atalaya, Charruado, Maína and Miraflores). They produce their own high-quality terroir wines under the Corta y Raspa label .

Opening new doors

The shift to unfortified Palominos has not escaped the attention of the big bodegas either. Historic houses such as Barbadillo (Castillo de San Diego), Valdespino (Ojo de Gallo) and Williams & Humbert (Finolis) have all made inroads. At Barbadillo, Armando Guerra has been tasked with helping veteran winemaker Montse Molino develop new products. He recognises the economic necessity of changing Sherry’s status quo but believes these new wines should be an entry point for new consumers to appreciate the fortified classics that are the region’s great calling card.

‘What we produce in [Sanlúcar] is good Manzanilla,’ Guerra says. ‘We are the best in the world at flor wines and this should continue. These new white wines should exist alongside Sherry. It’s going to change very fast. In the next five to 10 years, we’ll see a lot of good white wines which are going to be a complement to Sherry.’ What will really open the doors wide is the attitude of the consejo regulador. White wines are still not recognised under the DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry – but progress is being made. In July 2021, the regulatory council announced some changes to the DO rules to include the authorisation of unfortified wines (in a Sherry style, with minimum alcohol reduced to 15%) and the use of new native grape varieties.

The debate continues among consejo members to reduce minimum alcohol levels further, as well as to incorporate wines with less than the current minimum two years’ barrel-ageing into the DO. This could be seen as preparing the way for still wines in the near future.

This can only be good news as the region looks to adapt to a changing market – and changing economics. Yes, fino, manzanilla, palo cortado, amontillado and oloroso are some of the greatest gifts ever bestowed on wine lovers – but they are not the whole story. As well as representing the untold story of Sherry terroir, vinos de pasto provide a fantastic link between the perennially undervalued (and underpriced) fortified wines of Jerez and the fine dry white wines of the world.

Unfortified Jerez wines: Smith’s dozen top Palominos to explore

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Sherry country’s quiet revolution

As part of a revenge strike against the Spanish Armada, England’s queen Elizabeth I sent Francis Drake to sack Andalucía. He brought back some 3,000 barrels of ‘sack’ (Sherry) and it was an instant hit in the royal court.

So began a love affair that continues to this day. Sales hit a peak in the 19th century with many British merchants marrying into wine- producing families, thus creating ‘Sherry dynasties’. Anglo names are still seen on some of the region’s best bottles.

The Sherry trade made the small city of Jerez an economic powerhouse, which is reflected in its grand and varied architecture. Jerez today is quite different, though: it has resisted globalisation, favouring the conservative comfort of tradition and a quiet life.

Things move slowly here. People stop to talk, to have a drink. While Jerez’s aversion to change arguably stymies its progress, it also preserves its storied, deeply cultural past. The result for those visiting is an enchanting experience, where engaging with its highlights is an activity done in the company of locals.

Despite the importance of Sherry, it’s not all about wine. The city’s claim to be one of Spain’s major flamenco hotspots is ratified at the annual Festival de Jerez every February, where the latest, greatest productions are premiered.

Flamenco is a quotidian concern, too: Sherry bars noted for their performances are not seasonal tourists traps. Friendly local patrons stand cheek to jowl year round, sipping cheap – but excellent – dry wine, while braying their praise at spirited artists on tiny stages.

These traditional Sherry bars are called ‘tabancos’, a portmanteau of the words ‘tavern’ and ‘tobacco’.

As local Sherry expert Juan Bosco Trigo Caparrini explains: ‘Tabancos were originally “half taverns”, where you drank and ate tapas, but also bought tobacco and wine, often in bulk, to take home.’

While this is rarely so nowadays, the more traditional tabancos still serve Sherry directly from the barrel. There is, however, a slowly growing number of establishments deftly pairing food – from tapas to fine-dining cuisine – with this very special wine. Here are 10 of my favourite places to drink Sherry in Jerez.

Ten of the best Jerez Sherry bars

Albores

• Calle Consistorio, 12

There’s something flashy about the slick interiors of this see-and-be-seen establishment. But it’s not all show: a carefully curated and rather extensive Sherry list will sate the most curious wine lovers, and an upmarket menu puts Andalucía’s prized almadraba tuna front and centre. A large seating area outside is one of Jerez’s best spots for people watching.

Bodegas Tradición

• Calle Cordobeses, 3

‘Some of the best VORS [Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum, translated as Very Old Rare Sherries] I’ve ever tried,’ says local expert Juan Bosco Trigo Caparrini. Indeed, all the Sherries here have been given a VOS or VORS designation. The place to drink them is on the cosy patio as part of a tour, the highlight of which is a remarkable art collection. Works by Velázquez, Goya and El Greco all grace the bodega walls.

Despacho de Vinos La Bodeguita

• Avenida San Juan Bosco, 5

La Bodeguita’s owner also has a vineyard – Viña La Constancia – out of town and uses this micro wine shop and tabanco to sell its wares. The Sherries span the full gamut of styles and everything’s keenly priced. Try the standout oloroso straight from barrel and then ask them to fill up a bottle for the gentle saunter back to your hotel.

La Carboná

• Calle San Francisco de Paula, 2

Best known for its knowledgeable team’s food and Sherry pairings, this former winery-turned- restaurant is a popular spot with well-heeled locals. Top-quality wines are matched to not- inexpensive set menus, with Sherry in nearly every dish. Chef Javier Muñoz Soto, son of the owners, trained in food mecca Cantabria and returned with a masterful grasp of fish and meat dishes, such as palo cortado-glazed veal sweetbreads with celeriac.

Tabanco El Pasaje

• Calle Santa María, 8

Twice a day, you can hear the snap of metal and leather on wood as a flamenco dancer (along with his or her cadre of musicians) performs a sizzling display on the bar’s corner stage. It gets so packed that you may be forced to watch the beguiling performance via a huge mirror deliberately placed behind the bar. Order a little tumbler of manzanilla for €1 and pair it with any of the super-fresh seafood tapas.

Tabanco La Pandilla

• Calle Valientes, 14

One of the most traditional tabancos in Jerez, La Pandilla dates back to the 1930s. Following a period of closure, it’s now open again with owners keen on maintaining its film-set charm and bullfighting heritage. That’s why you’ll find old posters and other memorabilia decorating its well-worn walls. Its food offer is more progressive, though: try pairing the tuna sirloin toast with a glass of sweet and sticky Pedro Ximénez.

Tabanco El Guitarrón de San Pedro

• Calle Bizcocheros, 16

Locals swear by this backstreet tabanco, where the savviest drinkers come to enjoy palo cortado, a rare style of Sherry with near- mystical status. The bar’s highly knowledgeable owner, Mireia Dot Rodríguez, is only too happy to guide you through her exhaustive selection. The bare stone walls and dim lighting may lend an unassuming feel, but on the weekends it’s abuzz with discerning (but invariably friendly) locals.

Tabanco Las Banderillas

• Calle Caballeros, 12

Another food-forward tabanco, Las Banderillas’ exceptionally friendly staff serve much of its Sherry straight from the barrel. Try a dry, salty manzanilla with some Ibérico ham. Bullfighting is venerated here, with one of the seating options resembling a burladero: the name of the shelter where bullfighters take cover before coming out into the ring.

Tabanco Plateros

• Calle Algarve, 35

Sherry fans and novices alike will be thankful for El Plateros’ wine flights, which span dry and delicate fino through to dark and sweet PX, via oloroso, cream and amontillado. Careful though – they don’t scrimp on the measures here. In the evening, the kitchen opens at about 8pm, offering a wide selection of paper-plate tapas treats. Don’t miss the superlative chicharrones especiales: finely sliced crispy pork belly.

Tabanco San Pablo

• Calle San Pablo, 12

Possibly the most characterful of them all, San Pablo has all the attributes that charm: old wooden doors lead into a double-height space decorated with vintage vineyard memorabilia. The lighting is strangely office-like (bright white), but that matters little when the house fino – straight from the barrel – is the best in town. It’s set on a pretty residential street, so you may be reminded to keep it down when you leave.

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Sarah Jane Evans MW is excited to witness a quiet revolution in Jerez, driven by outside investment, a renewed focus on terroir and the development of different wine styles...

In the sunshine of Jerez, within the city’s historic Alcázar fortress, a remarkable sherry tasting took place last summer. Entering the Mezquita inside – the mosque that was turned into a church in 1264 – I had no idea of the significance of what was to unfold. The Mezquita is small, circular and very picturesque, but not the easiest venue for a tasting. Never mind, we were engrossed. At the end, there was a prolonged ovation: not the typical reaction to a wine tasting.

Scroll down for Sarah Jane Evans MW’s pick of new-wave Jerez wines

In retrospect, that tasting at Vinoble, the biennial trade fair for fortified and sweet wines, was another turning point in sherry’s variegated history. All those of us packed into the room on that day want sherry to reclaim its place as one of the great wines of the world. However, the last 30 or more years of decline have seen wheat fields replace vines on those precious chalky albariza soils.

The event was, put simply, an exposition of research that explained the different vineyards or ‘pagos’ of the sherry zone: the Marco de Jerez. Each taster was given a box with 12 soil samples; each sample showing subtly different versions of albariza soil. With the geological treasure box came wines to taste from the pagos, and a presentation about the geography, climate, people and history of each of these special vineyards.

The tasting was almost forensic in its thoroughness. The presenters were Ramiro Ibáñez and Willy Pérez. Their names have become strongly linked in the revival of Sherry, but they could not be more different as people. Someone later described them to me as ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Bordeaux’.

Want to visit Jerez? Read our weekend guide here

Forces of change

Ibáñez, from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the silent one, the consultant winemaker who has moved his work to focus on an ever-closer expression of the pagos, working both with other growers and bodegas, and on his own account with the Cota 45 wines. Pérez is the great communicator, from the family winery Luis Pérez. He has been an exceptional positive force, spreading the understanding of the pair’s joint researches into Jerez history and Sherry’s old ways, and pushing boundaries within the historical constraints of the Sherry world. In some cases the door was ready to be pushed wide open. In other areas there has been some resistance.

What does the change in Sherry amount to? Well, at the heart of it, not much apparently. After all, the main categories of Sherry continue. To be sure, there have been tweaks over recent years. En rama Sherry, bottled (almost) directly from the cask, has become a seasonal event. Special selections – an idea led by Equipo Navazos with its negociant business of numbered bottlings of selected casks – are produced by a number of bodegas today. Antonio Flores at González Byass manages the Palmas range, an annual selection of four wines of increasing age, from the Tio Pepe solera. And Paola Medina at Williams & Humbert has been bottling vintage finos (two words that are rarely seen in the same sentence), with further innovations planned.

Meanwhile, Peter Sisseck of Dominio de Pingus in Ribera del Duero has invested in Sherry, resulting in a beneficial and positive wave of attention for Jerez. With Carlos del Río González-Gordon, his business partner from Hacienda Monasterio (also in Ribera del Duero), Sisseck bought the Fino Camborio solera of Angel Zamorano from Juan Piñero and a 10ha vineyard in the pago of Balbaína.

The connections in the fine wine world of Sherry are close: consultant winemaker Ibáñez has been supervising the solera in recent times. To walk into the little bodega now is to be charmed. It’s a perfect match of historic white-walled bodega, but scrupulously tidy, with all the necessary technical kit. Sisseck is in no hurry to rush out his first vintage, much as we may be keen for him to do so.

Sherry or not?

These, though, are Sherries. What is discernible more recently is a trend towards what might be called ‘not-Sherries’. These are wines from the Marco de Jerez that are not fortified to the minimum 15% alcohol. They are made from the Palomino grape, grown in the famed albariza pagos, and fermented in stainless steel or cask. Many grow a light layer of flor in the relatively short time they are in cask – enough to make a significant change to the palate structure and aromatics.

In addition, the traditional asoleo practice – drying grapes on straw mats in the sun – has been reintroduced. The idea is not to raisin the grape, but to introduce sufficient sugar in it to increase the alcohol level. I can remember long ago seeing grapes spread out on the ground in the vineyard to dry, but the quick and easy process of fortification supplanted that practice. In years of high demand, this was the way to achieve a consistent product.

As I say, not all of this ‘innovation’ is unthinkable to the regulators. César Saldaña of the Consejo Regulador tells me that the board of the consejo has already agreed to modify its requirements. ‘Sherry is by definition a vino de licor [liquor wine] and in our case, this makes fortification compulsory.’ He adds: ‘These non-fortified Sherries obviously require alternative techniques in order to reach the minimum 15% alcohol: specific viticultural techniques to concentrate sugar levels in the grapes, which result in very low yields, and sun-drying or asoleo.’

As regulations currently stand, producers such as Luis Pérez and Williams & Humbert cannot currently claim that their wine is unfortified. To be Sherry a wine needs fortification, even if only minimal. It’s a requirement that should disappear when formal approval comes through.

Not all is plain sailing – non-fortifed/non-aged wines are still being discussed at board level. They also need to sort out the difference between a local white wine from the Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz, and a non- fortified white ‘Sherry’. Perhaps the difference will be flor-ageing, but nothing is certain.

Overall, Saldaña sees consensus for the acceptance of change. This new category of wine needs to reflect the region so, he suggests, there could be a place for the varieties that were once significant but were abandoned after phylloxera: Beba, Cañocazo, Castellano, Mantúo, Melonera, Perruño and Vigiriega (and possibly others).

Style innovations

There are a number of other players in this new/old world, some returning to wine styles similar to the 19th-century favourite known as vino de pasto. Eduardo Ojeda at Grupo Estévez introduced Ojo de Gallo, with its light layer of flor, under the Valdespino label in 2015. Then in 2017 he launched José Estévez Albariza, a lighter style, its name obviously laying claim to the local terroir.

Montserrat Molina at Barbadillo has a huge wine range under her remit, from popular to treasure-trove; Mirabrás is among the innovations in her portfolio. Working with her is Armando Guerra, who is closely in touch with a new generation of wine-growers, from Primitivo Collantes to Alejandro Muchada of Muchada-Léclapart. They can often be found bringing bottles to taste and discuss in Guerra’s bar, Taberna der Guerrita, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

The energy is palpable. Ojeda in particular could be forgiven for being a little world-weary at this sudden ‘discovery’ of unfortified wines under flor. After all he is also the winemaker behind Equipo Navazos, the business that he started with Jesús Barquín. Was he the first with flor wine? ‘Yes. We had the idea in 2007, and the first wine of this type was the joint venture with Dirk Niepoort – Navazos Niepoort – which was launched in 2008,’ he says. ‘Later we made Florpower in 2010. Since 2011 we have made OVNI, including a Pedro Ximénez and a Palomino Fino, lightly marked with flor. Logically, Navazos Niepoort 2008 marks the before and after of this trend and is the most representative. Everything since has been as a consequence of that wine,’ he adds.

Its influence has travelled abroad. From New Zealand to Argentina – as well as France’s Jura region – there are winemakers who are fascinated by flor and its effect on a wine. Jerez – and the traditional wines of Andalusia – need to make sure that they retain the moral rights, the ‘ownership’ of flor.

In context

For Ibáñez, it’s important to understand Sherry in the context of 3,000 years of winemaking. ‘There was the period of aromatised wines – with honey, herbs and so on – in ancient times, through to the system of criaderas and soleras, to post-phylloxera Jerez and down to the wines we have today,’ he says.

The consejo’s Saldaña points out that Jerez lost many varieties after phylloxera. What fascinates him and illuminates the quality of his wines is what he refers to as, ‘the circle of soil-plant-grape-wine-bottle, with man and all his idiosyncrasies – political, family, religion, diet, lifestyle’. He says: ‘I call it “vinodiversity” and it’s what explains the differences, such as differences between Sanlúcar and Jerez.’

What caused the emotion at the Vinoble tasting is that Ibáñez and Pérez were putting Jerez back in touch with its own soul. The Burgundians have known and celebrated their terroir for several hundred years. In Spain, Priorat and Bierzo have been leading the way in soil studies. This tasting was a way of putting into public ownership some of the knowledge retained by growers or capataces (the cellarmasters). The small-scale and the artisan have become a requirement of so many wine lovers. This tasting and the research behind it gave Jerez the chance to celebrate the fact that it can produce world-class wines from a distinctive terroir.

There’s a word of caution from Ibáñez, however. ‘While we have seen en rama wines, aged Sherries, emerge, what we are missing is any quality differentiation except that of old wines,’ he says. ‘I have an image of my ideal Jerez bodega, based on only 25%-30% of existing Sherries – only those of the highest quality – and the remainder would be young wines.’ He adds that he would like: ‘A kind of Port/Douro way to classify the wines, plus a Jura model to give a pyramid of prices.’

The last word should go to an outsider, someone drawn to fino as a great white wine. At the time of his purchase in Balbaína, Sisseck said: ‘Jerez’s great pagos have long been clearly defined, but no one has paid attention to them for years. That’s something we want to change.’ This is significant. The pagos have never been forgotten in the region. Sisseck’s arrival has given the Marco de Jerez a renewed impetus to talk up its treasures, not only in its wine, but also in its vineyards.

Sarah Jane Evans MW is DWWA co-Chair and author of The Wines of Northern Spain

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For a long weekend in wine country, there’s nowhere better than Jerez in Spain, says Sarah Jane Evans MW....

It’s a historic city, whose cobbled streets are filled with bars offering tempting tapas. This is the place to discover just how well Sherry goes with jamon, oxtail and tortillitas de camarones (crunchy little fritters of baby shrimp).

Jerez stands proud on a hill, looking out over the gently rolling slopes of brilliant white albariza soil, a key to the quality of the best Sherries. Its full name is Jerez de la Frontera, recalling its strategic role as a frontier town when the 15th-century ‘Catholic Kings’, Fernando and Isabella, drove out the Moors. Visit the Alcázar, the fortress, next door to the two icons of Jerez’ history: the church, represented by the gothic cathedral, and wine, represented by the González Byass bodega.

Bodegas abound here. If you turn up unannounced you may not gain entry, or may be given only the basic tour. If you are interested in a more serious visit, then book online, or write to the bodega beforehand.

Except for during the hottest months, Jerez life is lived on the street. There’s no need to spend your weekend in museums. Put away the GPS – just allow yourself to wander.

The glory of the old city is getting lost, and coming across something unexpected. It may be a group of men practising carrying one of the religious floats for Easter Week. It might be a bride posing for photos with her husband and 16 of his friends, all in identical dinner jackets. Jerez is like that: its old buildings and its people tempt the photographer and charm the eye.

Sanlúcar de Barrameda

If you can stay an extra day, don’t miss Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a half hour’s drive away. Enjoy a seafood lunch with chilled manzanilla down at the mouth of the River Guadalquivir at one of the restaurants on the Avenida Bajo de Guía. Spend the afternoon walking along the sand, or take the little ferry over to the nature reserve, the Parque Nacional de Doñana.

When to go

Early spring in Jerez offers sun after a cold winter. In May, come for the jacaranda trees, their mauve blooms setting the city alight. Summer is hot, with the fields bleached golden – so make sure to choose a hotel with a large swimming pool. Autumn is pretty, with more comfortable temperatures.

The Feria or traditional Horse Fair (11-18 May 2019) is a terrific, week-long event, featuring flamenco, a funfair and plenty of Sherry. But it’s only really fun if you know an insider who can invite you into their caseta (the colourful booths that line the streets of the Feria site). Holy Week (4-21 April 2019) is another busy time, but for the best Easter processions, Seville is the place to go.

Insider’s tip

Follow the local timetable. There’s nothing more depressing that turning up too early to eat, or finding the streets eerily empty. Aim for lunch sometime between 2pm and 3pm, which means you will need to stop for a sustaining copita and a tapa with a dose of people-watching around midday. Time for a siesta after lunch. Watch the world returning to life around 6pm. Dinner is from 8.30pm, but in summertime can start as late as 10pm.

Sarah Jane Evans MW is the Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. This guide first appeared in the February 2017 issue of Decanter. 

The last three decades have been traumatic for Jerez. Its vineyard area has collapsed from almost 23,000 ha to around 6,500 ha now. Solar panels, not Palomino vines, now turn sunlight into energy in a number of the region’s great albariza vineyards, writes Andrew Jefford.

The Jerez terroir challenge

Many of the grandees have departed. Osborne has pulled out of sherry production; Domecq has been dismembered; Sandeman, Croft, Harveys, Garvey and Terry have gone, even though their names linger on, ghost-like, on labels. A number of high-quality Brandy de Jerez brands have been travestied and are now ‘spirit drinks’ containing no grape-based spirit at all, bottled at 30%. Much of the region’s future depends on the Chinese Filipino billionaire Andrew Tan, who not only owns Harveys and what remains of Domecq’s holdings in Jerez as well as other sherry and Jerez brandy brands, but who also owns an undisclosed but significant percentage of Gonzalez Byass’s assets.

Times of commercial catastrophe, of course, are also times of opportunity. Jesús Barquín and his Equipo Navazos (of whom more in a later blog) have had a huge impact in rekindling global interest in fine sherry and making it gastronomically relevant, even hip. The canny Estévez family now has a peerless sherry portfolio via Valdespino and La Guita. Jan Pettersen of Fernando de Castilla has shown that great sherry, beautifully packaged, can find a thriving market. Gonzalez Byass itself has been admirably creative with its beautifully packaged En Rama and Palma bottlings.

And then … there are the region’s youngsters. They too would like a role in saving their region for the future – but how? A benchmark fino like Valdespino’s Inocente is literally the work of generations, and financing its ten-criadera solera requires huge resources. Even buying an almacenista (a private stockholder or wholesaler) demands substantial capital. What if you don’t have any?

The answer lies in those great vineyards, but outside the DO. It means table wines, and it means terroir.

The sherry grape is Palomino, and at first glance it doesn’t seem well-disposed to the youngsters. It’s a low-acid white of neutral character, and Jerez (which lies south of Tunis and almost as far south as Algiers) has a hot climate. Barbadillo’s Castillo de San Diego is the leading local Palomino table wine and sells well nationally, though it doesn’t trigger much critical rhapsody. “It’s improved,” a Spanish friend told me. “It now tastes like wine, whereas it used to taste like water. But it’s still mostly drunk by people who don’t like wine.” You can buy this Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz for €3.58 from Barbadillo’s own website. A price like that betrays modest ambitions. It does its job honorably, but it won’t save Jerez’s soul.

Step forward, into this unpromising scene, Ramiro Ibáñez. He’s a deep-thinking, widely experienced consultant who formerly worked for one of Sanlúcar’s biggest co-operatives, Virgen de la Caridad, as well as the local viticultural research station. He now has his own little wine workshop down on Sanlúcar’s waterfront, within view of the ferry which shuttles to and from the Cota Doñana, working under the Cota 45 name. He gave me a crash course in the region’s seven different soil types in the region and their “mouth geometry”; he also explained the differences between vineyards which face the Atlantic Ocean and those which are sheltered from it. And through his wines, sold under a variety of different names and ‘editions’, he is attempting to lend all of these differences sensorial expression, mostly using Palomino, but calling on other varieties like PX and Uva Rey, too. If your only experience of Palomino table wine is Castillo de San Diego, Ibáñez’s wines are a revelation (see below).

Step forward, too, Fernando Angulo and Alejandro Muchada. Both of them have worked in Champagne, and know Anselme Selosse; both are mindful of the similarities between Jerez’s chalks and sands and those of distant Champagne. Both have seen and noted the grower revolution in Champagne, too – a region where the hegemony of the large company and its pan-regional blends, once thought absolute, is now at an end. Why not here, too?

From a tiny cellar in the centre of Sanlúcar, they produce a bewildering array or more-or-less natural sparkling wines and one or two still ones, too, under the Alba label. These include single-vineyard releases – since their quest, too, is for the complexity which can, they claim, only come from great sites treated with the maximum of respect.

No debate about maximising the sense of terroir in wines from Jerez would be complete, though, without alluding to the fact that this is palpable in sherry as well, particularly in Fino and Manzanilla styles. When recently in Jerez, I spent some time with the Estévez group’s winemaking chief Eduardo Ojeda, tasting young wines and different solera stages for both La Guita Manzanilla (including wines from the gently sloping, consummately maritime site of Miraflores, with its russet lustrillo soils) and for Valdespino’s Inocente (from the steeper, more ‘continental’ site of Macharnudo, with its brilliantly white albariza soils).

It is Ojeda’s almost obsessive contention that vineyard origin is just as important in creating the final personality of a sherry as is ‘the sherry method’ itself – and the comparison between the two sets of raw materials was certainly striking. Macharnudo base wines are masterful, voluminous, concentrated and structured, while Miraflores base wines tend to be supple, fugitive, grainy and saline. The group has set itself other terroir challenges: from 2015, for example, all its fortifying spirit is distilled from local Palomino (a sherry first), while it will have a Macharnudo brandy to sell in due course. “Whether it will be good or not, we don’t know yet,” says Ojeda “– but we’re certain it will be more authentic.” That, perhaps, sums up Jerez’s future.

Tasting Terroir in Jerez

Ramiro Ibáñez produces the best unfortified wines I’ve yet tasted from the Jerez region: sensitive, questing wines of great insight and nuance, though quantities are tiny and they require explanation if you are to get the most out of them. They prove firstly that Palomino can be a great vehicle for the non-fruit notes we call mineral; secondly that it can deliver wines of real substance here; and thirdly that marked acidity is not necessary for balance in Jerez table wines.

Best of all were two 2015 wines tasted from cask (one from the Carrascal vineyard of Sanlúcar and one from the Maina vineyard of Sanlúcar), both of which had been given two days of sun-drying after the harvest: truly dense, brimming with allusive richness (dry grass, rice, malt, seaweed). Among the bottled wines the non-vintage Cinque from the Pitijopos ‘Volume 1’ series was haunting (understated scents of bread, honey and powdered stone, with a mouthfilling, low-acid yet firmly structured flavour evoking, perhaps, quince and turmeric, 91) while the 2013 Palomino Centenario from the UBE range, made from three types of old-vine Palomino grown on grainy Antehojuela Albariza soils showed enticing wild hawthorne scents and had a more pungent, assertive flavour with an almost tannic finish (89).

The Alba wines are variable in quality but the best are unique and compelling, once again proving that Palomino can convey ‘minerality’ effectively, and that early harvesting for this grape in this place need not mean a raw, unyielding style or hard acidity. Jerez Palomino, remarkably enough, seems able to convey its intrinsic amplitude within an alcoholic spectrum which ranges from 10.5% to 14%. Best of all from Alba is the non-vintage Ancestral: teasing scents of saltmarsh, clifftop grasses and a little grape sweetness, with a poised, well-rounded, tingling flavour in which the flavours of straw, fennel, saffron and peach are expressed with typical chalk elegance and finesse (90).

It’s worth noting, too, that the Equipo Navazos range includes the unfortified Niepoort Navazos, pressed from Macharnudo grapes and butt fermented. The 2014 vintage is fresh, softly yeasty, tangy, with subtle, gentle, understated flavours of green malt and chalk dust (89).

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Credit: Andrew Jefford

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This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas. Sarah Jane Evans MW leads the way, in her Jerez travel guide.

Fact File

DOs Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, covers all production except for manzanilla; Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, has to be matured in Sanlúcar

Planted area 7,400ha

Main soils more than 90% classified as Jerez Superior. These are the albariza soils: crumbly, porous and limestone-rich. Smaller quantities of barros, clay, and arenas, sand and clay.

Main grapes Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Alejandría

Visit sherry.org and turismojerez.com

Quick links:

• My perfect day in Jerez
• Jerez: where to stay, eat and relax

Jerez de la Frontera is the archetypal city of wine. Nowhere do cellars and wine jostle citizens in quite the same way. From the old quarter to the ring road, it’s packed with bodegas – lofty ceilinged wine warehouses whose brand names are emblazoned in huge black letters on white walls with their distinctive yellow edging. Every pavement has its bars with tables made from blackened Sherry butts.

• See more Decanter travel guides to Spain

The vines too are everywhere around. Climb to the highest point of the hilltop that is Jerez, to the viewpoint at the top of the fortified Alcazar, and you can see vineyards stretching to the horizons. In the sun the chalky white albariza soil glints brilliantly. Here and there, patches of gold are visible where wheat has been planted to replace the vines. Across the nearby hills there are the inevitable wind farms, capturing the wind that comes racing up from the sea.

Head for the fair

There’s no better time to visit Jerez than in spring. The weather is warm and the tree-lined streets are starting to reveal the red of the bougainvillea and the electric purple of the jacaranda. The city is busy sprucing itself up for the Feria, one of Andalucia’s great spring fairs (10-17 May in 2015). In 2014 Jerez was European Capital of Wine, and deservedly so. This is a city that has to walk the tightrope between the tourist clichés of flamenco and bullfighting, and the serious business of making and marketing one of the world’s great wines. It has learned the lessons from other successful centres of wine tourism.

Today it has good transport connections, a wide range of hotels and, of course, open house at the bodegas. Always book ahead at the bodegas, and if you have a special interest then let them know, as they may be able to accommodate you. Start your visits with one of the smaller ones, partly because it’s more straightforward to understand the processes and the geography of Sherry-making, partly because it can be much more personal.

Fernando de Castilla (fernandodecastilla.com) is a great introduction to Jerez with its traditional cellar. Bright white paint on the walls outside, inside it is all shady patios and cellars, with the traditional sandy floors. Its Sherry vinegar is excellent, and worth buying, as is the brandy, not to mention the large range of wines.

Another gloriously traditional cellar is El Maestro Sierra (maestrosierra), again with excellent wines. Founded in 1830, it has been run since 1976 by Doña Pilar Plá Pechovierto, now with her daughter Carmen. Bodegas Tradición (bodegastradicion.es) is renowned for its focus on mature Sherries. However, it also worth a visit for its collection of Spanish paintings, from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

Next door to the Alcazar is González Byass (gonzalezbyass.com), home to Tío Pepe fino and much else besides. It receives more than 200,000 visitors a year and has developed a diversified range of visitor tours. It’s definitely worth booking ahead, especially if you are interested in a food-matching session. Not surprisingly, the company won an international award for Best Visitor Centre in 2014.

It’s also worth making time for a trip to Lustau (lustau.es), another multi-award winning company. Its tours include a 12-wine tasting with samples from the three Sherry towns – Jerez, El Puerto and Sanlúcar – to highlight the differences, and a Professional Sherry tasting, which incorporates food, brandy and vinegar too.

Make time for tapas

After bodega visits, next on your must-do list is enjoying tapas. Everywhere is easy walking in Jerez, since the centre is flat, and everything is close by. There are bars on every corner, each one potentially with better food (or sometimes worse) than the last. Keep moving, unless you find a bar that is exceptionally good. Look at what’s on offer on the counter. Check that the food looks fresh and hasn’t been sitting around curling at the corners. Top of my list are traditional tortilla (potato omelette), tortilla de camarones (shrimp fritters – a speciality of Cadiz), boquerones (anchovies), and the local Payoyo goats’ cheese.

Jerez has more to offer beyond bodegas and tapas: churches and cloisters abound; take a bicycle and wine tour (biwi.es); or there are museums for clocks, archaeology and carriages. See a show by the magnificent Andalucian horses (realescuela.org), or visit them at their stud in less formal surroundings (yeguadacartuja.com). Wherever you go, you’re not far from a chilled glass of fino.

Visit Sanlucar

Make time to spend a day or two exploring the faded glory of the old city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, one of the region’s other Sherry towns, along with El Puerto de Santa María. Here, the big bodegas to visit are Hidalgo-La Gitana (lagitana.es) and Barbadillo (barbadillo.com).

For food, head to the bars at Plaza del Cabildo – Balbino (casabalbino.com) and La Gitana are famous – and Bajo de Guía by the river, where top choices are Poma (restaurantepoma.com) and Casa Bigote. At Bigote’s restaurant next door (restaurantecasabigote.com), get a table by the window overlooking the river and the ferry to the nature reserve of Coto Doñana (info@visitasdoñana.com).

Finally, it’s not easy to shop for Sherries in the region, except at the bodegas. Taberna der Guerrita on the corner of Calle San Salvador and Calle Rubiños is an exception (guerrita.es).

How to get there

Fly directly (or via Madrid) to Jerez, and then take a train or taxi to Jerez de la Frontera, around 5km away. Alternatively, fly to Seville and catch a train or drive from there (90km).

Written by Sarah Jane Evans MW

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This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas. Sarah Jane Evans MW leads the way, in her Jerez travel guide.

My perfect day in Jerez

Morning

The day begins with a freshly squeezed orange juice and some fresh fruit from your hotel buffet. No need for eggs, toast or jamón – you’ll be eating these throughout the day. First call is the Mercado Central (Calle Abastos) to see what will be freshest when eating out later. Grab your morning coffee at one of the many bars clustered by the market. Order a tostada (toasted roll), con mermelada, with butter and jam, or con tomate, with olive oil and tomato. There’s always a stall selling chocolate y churros, super-thick hot chocolate, with deep-fried, sugar-sprinkled dough sticks. Walk off your breakfast by window-shopping. Apart from the chain stores, Jerez has plenty of small retailers. It’s the place for flamenco outfits and gaudy jewellery; and tweed tailoring for would-be caballeros. If you’re ready for your first winery visit, pick Fernando de Castilla or the late 18th-century cellar of Díez Mérito (diezmerito.com).

Lunch

Stop for a cold lager (a caña is a small glass) and a tapa, and people watch. That pre-lunch tapa is a necessary stop-gap here: depending on the season, lunch doesn’t start until 2.30pm or 3.30pm. Don’t hurry; you’ll notice no one else is. Afterwards, siesta time. If sleep eludes you, put your feet up and read some pages of Jerez history written by one of the great figures of the industry: Sherry: The Noble Wine by Manuel González Gordon (1935, latest edition 1990).

Afternoon

Make González Byass your afternoon visit. It is one of the few bodegas that is open after lunch, but be sure to pre-book if you want an afternoon appointment. After your visit, early evening is a lovely time to walk round the old city. Perfect for stopping and reading menus and deciding where to eat.

Evening and overnight

Dinner starts between 9pm and 10pm here and there’s lots to choose from. After, walk back to your hotel past a few bars to have a coffee or a brandy. With luck there’ll be some music and you’ll be tempted to linger.

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This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas. Sarah Jane Evans MW leads the way, in her Jerez travel guide.

Jerez: where to stay, eat and relax

Hotels

Hotel Sherry Park, Jerez

Between June and September, a swimming pool is essential. The pool here is large, if the rooms are a little dated. A brisk walk from the centre, this is a fine place to spend the siesta. hotelsherrypark.com

Hotel Casa Grande, Jerez

This is a small, friendly, family-run hotel, set in a typical house in a central location. casagrande.com.es

Asta Regia, Jerez

Centrally located, this relatively new hotel is close to the Alcazar. It has small rooms, and a polished, corporate feel. The rooftop terrace has a small pool. hotelastaregiajerez.com

Hospedería Palacio Duques de Medina Sidonia, Sanlúcar

The 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia led the illfated Armada. The family’s historic palace in Sanlucar’s upper town is now a traditionally decorated hotel in lovely gardens. Good café for tea and home-baked cakes. ruralduquesmedinasidonia.com

Hotel Posada de Palacio, Sanlúcar

This 18th-century building is around the corner from the Medina Sidonia palace, and offers a chance to stay in a typical Andalucian house. posadadepalacio.com

Parador de Cádiz

With its toes in the ocean, and superb sea views, this is at the very tip of the peninsula that is Cadiz. While the building itself is an unpromising, modern architectural block, this is convenient for the old city. parador.es/parador-de-cadiz

Restaurants

(For restaurants in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, see here)

La Carboná, Jerez

Period-setting in an old bodega, this has bold, straightforward, traditional cuisine and friendly staff who are happy to discuss the menu. Excellent beef, but order the bluefin tuna when in season (spring, early summer). lacarbona.com

Las Cuadras, Jerez

Relatively new tapas bar, designed to look like a charming museum piece. There is often flamenco singing, but it’s not touristy. lascuadras.es

El Almacén, Jerez

Traditional bar, with honest, uncomplicated food. Calle LaTorre 6, 11403 Reino de León, Jerez In the same street as El Almacén. This selfstyled gastrobar could not be more different from its neighbour. Tapas with a modern twist. reinodeleongastrobar.com

Tabanco San Pablo, Jerez

A typical, historic Sherry bar. Pick up a map to these tabancos in the tourist office (turismojerez.com). Can be stuffed with tourists, but nonetheless it is authentic. One of the many bars to serve snails in season – look out for the hay caracoles signs across the city in May. tabancosanpablo.es

A Poniente, El Puerto de Santa María

The Sherry triangle’s outstanding, creative, modern kitchen. With two Michelin stars, the focus is on fish and shellfish. aponiente.com

El Faro del Puerto, El Puerto de Santa María

After a quarter of a century, El Faro remains a fine introduction to the best of Andalucia. An extensive Sherry list, by glass and bottle. elfarodelpuerto.com

El Romerijo, El Puerto de Santa María

An El Puerto institution: a pile’em high, high-speed business, with every kind of fish fried, and every type of seafood served. romerijo.com

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One of the most highly respected elder statesmen of Sherry, Mauricio Gonzalez-Gordon y Diez, Marques of Bonanza, has died aged 89 in Jerez.

González-Gordon, who died on 27 September, had been a board member of family business González Byass since 1961.

As president of the firm from 1993 to 1999, he guided its transformation into a global brand amid the so-called golden years of Sherry. His son Mauricio is chairman of the company today.

After being born in Middlesex, England, in 1923, González-Gordon moved to Jerez aged three, where he later became known for his English gentlemanly manner and fine tweed tailoring.

He studied chemistry at Seville University and wine at Berkeley in California, before returning to González Byass. He spent 20 years as head of selections for most of the firm’s wine. In 1955, he created Spain’s first centre for vine and wine research, at González Byass.

‘Mauricio González Gordon was not just a highly respected bodeguero and an extraordinary human being, but for many years he also was a driving force behind the Consejo Regulador,’ said Cesar Saldana, director-general of the regulatory body for Sherry. ‘His knowledge, experience and common sense made a significant contribution to our Institution that will be very much missed.’

Outside of Sherry, he was president of the Red Cross in Jerez for 13 years, founded the Spanish Society for Ornithology and helped to create the Donana National Park.

Among a long list of awards, the King of Spain granted him the Medal of Naval Merit of the First Order, the Queen of Denmark made him a knight of Dannebrog and he was a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros de Vino for his services to Spanish wine.

Decanter’s publishing director, Sarah Kemp, said, ‘he was the perfect gentlemen and will be sorely missed’.

Written by Sarah Jane Evans MW

It's mid afternoon and I'm being led into a secret part of the Gonzalez Byass cellars in Jerez by winemaker Antonio Flores.

We’re here in search of an Amontillado with flor – a layer of yeast that forms naturally on the surface of young Sherry wines aged in barrels that are purposefully not filled to the top.

After the success of Tio Pepe En Rama – a Fino bottled from the barrel in its raw state without fining or filtration, which launched at the London International Wine Fair this year and sold out in 30 minutes, the team is on the lookout for the next limited edition Sherry to bring to market.

Flores suggests that a young Amontillado yet to lose all its flor could be next year’s En Rama, which would be bottled as Tio Pepe Pasado En Rama.

Flores stops at a set of barrels and hands us each a glass. Brandishing a venencia – a silver cup fastened to a long whale bone handle, he dips it deep into the barrel and pours it swiftly at height into one of the tasting glasses with the grace of a bullfighter.

It’s a wonderful golden colour but the flor has already fallen away so we swiftly move on. Two more attempts prove fruitless, but eventually we hit upon an exciting discovery: a seven-year-old Amontillado. Atop the golden liquid is a thick layer of flor. We may have found the next En Rama.

Jubilant from his discovery, Flores leads us to another secret cellar and fills our glasses with a 60-year-old Amontillado. In the muted light the copper wine glints like a new penny. It smells like a varnished desk. Full-bodied and with a long, nutty finish, it’s the most complex Amontillado I’ve ever tasted.

Flores paces up and down, looking for a particular barrel. Locating it, he plunges the venenciain. The Sherry is deep mahogany – a 100-year-old Palo Cortado. It’s incredibly intense and concentrated, but the oak is overpowering, rendering it undrinkable. Not all wines can stand the test of time.

Determined to show us an old wine still very much alive, our next barrel sample is one I will never forget; an Amontillado from 1850 made by the winery’s founder, Manuel María Gonazlez. Heady on the nose, it smells amazingly youthful for its 160 years, with aromas of salted caramel and hazelnut. On the palate the acidity is astounding, and it has excellent body and depth of flavour. The sandlewood finish remains hauntingly in the glass.

In our final clandestine barrel room deep in the bowels of the winery, we end with a trio of sweet Sherries. The first is a 25-year-old sweet Palomino, made and aged in the same way as a Pedro Ximenez.

Tawny with a yellow rim, it has a Moscatel grape-like quality with a tropical fruit finish.The 75-year-old PX is as black as crude oil and equally thick, while the 85-year-old Moscatel has a lifted, floral quality and coffee finish.

Our palates fatigued by the liquid history lesson, we follow Flores out of the barrel room and into the glaring sunlight, and I feel as if waking from a dream.

Written by Lucy Shaw

Getting around

If you’re not planning to venture outside the city, stick to walking and taxis – the centre of Jerez is reasonably small and you can get around pretty easily. By car, it can seem a bit of a maze at first, with a lot of one-way streets. You may end up going round the same church a few times before you find your way. If you feel like a ride in one of the open horse-drawn carriages, set a price first or you could get stung.

Eating and drinking

Andalusia is the place to go for tapas, and Jerez is no exception. If you want the dinner party fact of where tapas originates from, just tell people that it was originally a saucer (or something similar) which covered your drink to stop the insects getting in there, until some entrepreneur decided to fill his with a few olives to draw the punters. Then bar owners started to compete with more and more elaborate tapas until they decided that they would be better off if they got people to pay for them. All the same, eating tapas-style is a cheap way to graze your way around Jerez. Generally a tapa will be a little snack – more of a meal is a ración (serving) or a couple of media-raciones. Prices will be marked up on the menu up to around 1,500 pesetas (£5) maximum per ración. If you want to really understand the true potential of the tapa, visit Bodega la Andana. Here the chef/owner Manuel Valencia Lazo has taken it to a whole new level. There is no menu, and Lazo buys what he can fresh each day and puts ingredients together in a modern tapas-fusion style. For a more traditional experience you can try out any number of the bars and restaurants dotted around the town. For somewhere humming with activity on a Saturday, try Tendido 6 where the Jerezanos go to knock back copitas and carry out a post-corrida dissection of the performances in the bull ring. The restaurant there does a nice line in bull meat, like rabo de toro (bull’s tail) – assuming the matador hasn’t walked off with it. You don’t need any clues for what’s at the top of the list to drink – it’s got to be fino. Almost everywhere you can buy house fino by the copita; otherwise half-bottles are a good bet and usually cost no more than 700–800 pesetas (£2.50–2.80). What’s on the awning in front of the bar is a good indication as to what’s to be had. One to try is Tio Mateo from Real Bodegas Tesoros, with its lightish style and nuttiness.

Bodega la Andana, Parque de la Serrana 5. Tel: +34 956 30 73 85

Tendido 6, Circo 10. Tel: +34 956 34 48 35

The Bodegas

Most bodegas offer a number of tours each day which cost between 300–400 pesetas (£1–1.40), but it is best to phone in advance to reserve. The structures themselves are impressive and hark back to the golden days of Jerez. The González Byass dome was designed by Gustav Eiffel, and Domecq is full of arches modelled on those of the Mezquita in Córdoba.

Bodegas Corral: At the heart of the Camino de Santiago

Sanlúcar de Barrameda

To get out of town a car is indispensable, as is a good street map. Once you get on the right road a trip to Sanlúcar de Barrameda takes about half an hour. There you get some nice Atlantic breezes and miles of largely deserted beach. The town is the home of manzanilla, lighter than a Jerez fino, with an almost salty taste of the sea. The place possesses that sleepy seaside feel, with lots of quiet pedestrianised streets lead from one plaza to another. There are plenty of African influences too. The town hall could pass for a Moorish palace, and is surrounded by palms. Eating there you will get pretty much the freshest seafood to be had. Plenty of little bars and restaurants like Bar Mi Tate serve whatever is in season or whatever came off the boat that day, ranging from langostinos a la plancha (langoustines done on the griddle) to puntillitas (deep-fried baby squid). While you are here, you might as well wash it down with a half-bottle of manzanilla La Gitana – it will never taste better than in these surroundings.

Bar Mi Tate, Calle Bolsa 11. Tel: +34 956 36 48 46

Getting there from uk

Direct flights are operated by buzz out of London Stansted. AirEuropa flies via Madrid, with potentially long stopovers in the capital. GB Airways flies to Seville and Gibraltar every day – these are about one hour and two hours away respectively.