JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA , inland towards Sevilla, is the home and heartland of sherry (itself an English corruption of the town's Moorish name - Xerez ) and also, less known but equally important, of Spanish brandy. An elegant and prosperous town, it's a tempting place to stop, arrayed as it is round the scores of wine bodegas with plenty of sights to visit in between. Life is lived at a fairly sedate pace for most of the year here, although things liven up considerably when Jerez launches into one or other of its two big festivals - the May Horse Fair (perhaps the most snooty of the Andalucian ferias ), or the celebration of the vintage towards the end of September.
Jerez is also famous throughout Spain for a long and distinguished flamenco tradition and if you're interested in finding out more about Andalucía's great folk art then a visit to the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco , Plaza de San Juan (Mon 9am-2pm, Tues-Fri 9am-2pm & 5-7pm; free), in the atmospheric gitano quarter, the Barrio de Santiago, is a must; here you can see videos of past greats and get information on flamenco venues in the town. The tours of the sherry and brandy processes can be interesting - almost as much as the sampling that follows - and, provided you don't arrive in August when much of the industry closes down, there are a great many firms and bodegas to choose from. The visits are conducted either in English (very much the second language of the sherry world) or a combination of English and Spanish and last for about an hour. Jerez's "big two" are González Byass , c/Manuel González s/n (tours: March-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-1pm & 5-7pm, Sun 9.30am-1pm; rest of year ring the bodega for hours; book in advance on 956 357 016, English spoken, or www.gonzalezbyass.es/ ; ¬6) makers of the famous Tio Pepe brand and the more central, and Pedro Domecq , c/San Ildefonso 3 (tours: Mon-Fri 9am-1.30pm & 5-7pm; advance booking on 956 151 500 or www.domecq.es/ ; ¬3 morning visits, ¬4.50 afternoon) producers of La Ina ; besides manufacturing sherry both bodegas are major brandy producers, too. Many of these firms were founded by British Catholic refugees, barred from careers at home by the sixteenth-century Supremacy Act, and even now they form a kind of Anglo-Andalucian tweed-wearing and polo-playing aristocracy (on display, most conspicuously, at the Horse Fair). The González cellars - the soleras - are perhaps the oldest in Jerez and, though it's no longer used, preserve an old circular chamber designed by Eiffel (of the tower fame). If you feel you need comparisons, you can pick up a list of locations and opening times of the other bodegas from the turismo or from any travel agent in the centre when this is closed. The most attractive of the town's buildings - including the imposing Gothic-Renaissance Catedral de San Salvador (daily 5.30-8pm and morning service, or ring 956 348 482) and the impressive eleventh-century Moorish Alcázar (daily: May-Sept 10am-8pm; Oct-April 10am-6pm; ¬1.50) next to the González bodega - are within a couple of minutes' walk of the central Plaza del Arenal. An excellent Archeological Museum (June-Aug 10am-2.30pm, closed Mon; Sept-May Tues-Fri 10am-2pm & 4-7pm, Sat & Sun 10am-2.30pm; ¬1.50) lies five minutes north of the centre in the Plaza del Mercado on the edge of the Barrio de Santiago; star exhibits include a seventh-century BC Greek military helmet, a Visigothic sarcophagus and a fine Caliphal bottle vase. Evidence of Jerez's great enthusiasm for horses can be seen at the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art , Avda. Duque de Abrantes s/n, which offers the chance to watch them performing to music (Thurs noon; March-Oct also Tues noon; tel 956 319 635; ¬12-18). training, rehearsals (without music) and visits to the stables take place on other weekdays between 11am and 1pm, when admission is a more affordable ¬6.
The turismo , c/Larga 39 (Mon-Fri 8am-2pm & 5-8pm, Sat 10am-2pm; tel 956 331 150), is located halfway along the town's pedestrianized main street, to the north of the focal Plaza del Arenal. For accommodation , the best budget rooms are at Pensión Los Amarillos , c/Melina 39 (tel 956 342 296; ¬12-18), which you reach by turning left from the bus station and walking three blocks. The nearby Hostal Las Palomas , c/Higueras 17 (tel 956 343 773; ¬12-18), also has clean and simple rooms, while a bit further out in the suburbs is the good-value Albergue Juvenil , Avda. Carrero Blanco 30 (tel 956 143 901; under ¬12), with a pool; bus #9 from outside the bus station will take you there. Moving upmarket, there's the excellent Hostal San Andrés , c/Morenos 12 (tel 956 340 983, fax 956 343 196; ¬18-27), which has rooms with bath, and the friendly Hotel Torres , c/Arcos 29 (tel 956 323 400, fax 956 321 816; ¬36-48), both northeast of the bus station, with similar facilities and charming patios. For food there are tapas bars and eating places all over the central zone; one of the best tapas venues is Juanito , c/Pescadería Vieja 4 (off the east side of the central Plaza del Arenal) and, right opposite in the same alleyway, is a decent modest-priced restaurant, Almenas , with a budget menú.
The train and bus stations are more or less next door to each other, eight blocks east of the González byass bodega and Plaza del Arenal.
Google Map of Jerez
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