Acclaimed for it’s famous sherries and brandies (soleras), Jerez is also the home of the Carthusian horse, the Spanish fighting bull, the Toro Bravo, and is considered the cradle of flamenco.  Often overlooked in Spain’s southwest province of Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, sits atop the so-called Sherry Triangle some 90 kms south of Sevilla and about 20 minutes north of the Bay of Cádiz at El Puerto de Santa Maria. 

Although it’s easily reached by car or train as a day trip from Sevilla, there is more than enough to keep one busy over several days if your interests are food and wine, horses or flamenco. There are weekly performances put on by the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art. Jerez’s important Flamenco Festival, now in it’s 24th year, is held in late February/early March, but flamenco can be enjoyed in several of the sherry bars and restaurants in Jerez’s Santiago and San Miguel barrios throughout the year. Jerez also puts on two major festivals each year, the Feria de Jerez, also called the Feria del Caballo, the world famous horse fair, held the first or second week of May, and the Feria de la Vendimia, the fall grape harvest, or Sherry Festival.  Easter week in Jerez is not as well known as Semana Santa in Sevilla, but there are a total of 44 brotherhoods in Jerez that take part each year in the Easter processions.

Dating from the time of the Phoenicians, who were cultivating wine here as far back as 1100 BC, Jerez de la Frontera did not begin it’s rise to prominence until the time of the Moors, when they called this city on the frontier of Moorish Spain Sherish.  They built the first mosques, aristocratic palaces and the palace-fortress Alcázar.  Growth picked up once again in the 19th-century with the expansion of sherry and brandy production in the region. Jerez’s old town, the casco antiguo, has many beautiful palm lined squares to explore while the newer parts of the city have wide avenues, some with magnificent rows of jacaranda trees, native to south America, that bloom in the spring. The gardens in the 11th-century Moorish fortress, the Alcazaba, are open to the public. The 17th-century Cathedral de Jerez, the Sacristy of the Cathedral del Salvador, with its 15th-century Gothic-Mudéjar bell tower and five naves, is home to Zurbarán’s La Virgen Niña, The Sleeping Girl.

Built during the time of the Taifa Kingdom (12th-century), it served as a Fortress Palace by the Almohad rulers of southern Spain.  it’s Octagonal Tower is one of the few examples of Almohad architecture that still exists on the Iberian Peninsula.  Today it’s surrounded by a beautiful park and gardens and you can visit the Arab Baths (hammam).  Opens daily at 9:30 am.

The new bullring, which will hold 9,500 spectators, was designed by architect Francisco Hernández Rubio and built in the first half of the 19th-century, replacing one from 1840, which was a wooden structure, a 16-sided polygon shape, with two floors and a capacity for 11,000 spectators, but which burned down in 1860.  Before the original bullring was built, bullfights were held in the Plaza de las Angustias.

Other historic places of interest are the 17th-century Sacristy of the Cathedral del Salvador Cathedral de Jerez, the 16th-century Iglesia de San Miguel, in the Plaza San Miguel, the 18th-century Baroque Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora del Carmen Coronada in the Plaza del Carmen and the 15th-century Real Iglesia De San Dionisio Areopagita in the Plaza Doctor Revueltas Montel, the 14th century Gothic Iglesia de San Marcos at Calle San Juan, 10, the Iglesia de San Juan de los Caballeros and the 14th-century Gothic Iglesia de Santiago, at Calle Merced, 5, and 18th-century Iglesia de San Pedro, home of the Brotherhood of Loreto, at Calle Bizcocheros, 17.

Located at Plaza de San Juan, 1, the center, housed in the 18th-century El Palacio Pemartín, is a must for flamenco enthusiasts.  The center is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, admission is free.

This is a spectacular display of dressage of the beautiful Carthusian horses, cousins to the Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and their riders, in period costumes, “dancing” to classical music. Called the Cómo Bailan Los Caballos Andaluces, it’s held a the 18th-century Palacio de las Cadenas on Avenida de Abrantes.  Performances are held at noon every Thursday during the year and on Tuesdays from March to October. There is also a performance on Fridays from 15 July-31 October. The ballet lasts 1-1/2 hours with a brief 10-minute intermission.  These performances are extremely popular and often sell out a month or more in advance! The best seats are the up-close, 30€ preferencia seats on both sides of the VIP seats, (100€) but other seats are priced as low as 13€ and have great sight-lines.  When you pick up your tickets at the box office they will offer you an entrance ticked to the adjacent carriage museum, El Museo de Carruajes, as well.  

There is absolutely no videotaping or photography allowed during the performance, but they do sell books and tasteful souvenirs in the gift shop and posters of the horse ballet are sold at the coat and camera check stand.  During intermission it’s customary to sip a quick sherry at the bar, although run, don’t walk.  It gets utterly mobbed very quickly, as does the gift shop.  

The Domecq and González Byass bodegas, the “biggies", are on the far southwest side of town, side-by-side, and a bit hard to reach because the signage in Jerez is poor.  If you choose to visit either one, follow the signs on the ring road west, leading you to the N-480 and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, or the N-IV towards Cádiz to reach that side of town. You’ll need to park on the street wherever you can find a spot. Domecq has no official parking lot for their tours as a way of not encouraging mass visits.  Please be aware of the "gypsy parking attendants" hovering around, looking semi-official, will offer to help you park, then "guard" your car during your stay, expecting a tip, of course. We had experienced these often in Sevilla so just ignored them. We weren't sure whether we had parked illegally or not due to the lack of signage, and left our luggage in the trunk, which couldn't be avoided, but it was tucked away on a side street with no traffic. Although the Domecq bodega is the oldest and considered by some to be the most prestigious, with casks autographed by Franco, royalty, celebrities (one of the bodegas has Mezquita inspired architecture), they weren't particularly welcoming at first. We had the feeling that their public relations department offers tours reluctantly since they interfere with their day, make noise, disturb the sherry at rest, and generally just get in the way of their ultra serious sherry production.  

The Sandeman visitor's center, at Calle Pizarro, 10, is located only a few minutes walk from the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, which means you can combine the horse show with a sherry tasting. Scheduled visits in English, German, Spanish and French are available Monday-Friday, no reservation required, but check the time for your specific language. Visits are available on Saturday by appointment only.  A tasting of three Sherries, plus the tour is, 10€. A tasting of four very old Sherries is 15€. The 1790 Tour, a tasting of four premium Sherries and four very old Sherries is 25€. Closed the month of January from maintenance.  Tel: (+34) 675 647 177

We first visited this outstanding Sherry bodega in the historic center of Jerez, at Calle Jardinillo, 7-11, in 2014 and had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Norwegian-born Jan Pettersen, who, along with a group of investors, had purchased the company in 1999. Originally founded in the 1960s by Fernando Andrada-Vanderwilde, it became famous for it’s brandies, and was named in honor of king Fernando de Castilla “The Saint” who conquered much of Andalusia in the 13th century. It is also the original home of Tio Pepe. Visits are available by reservations only and can include a special lunch or dinner for larger groups.  Tel: (+34) 956 18 24 54

Founded in 1896, by José Ruiz-Berdejo, Emilio Lustau S.A. acquired six 19th-century cathedral-like buildings in the center of Jerez, at Calle de Arcos, 53, and restored them to their original glory. Lustau is the only winery that produces wines in each of the three cities in the Sherry triangle: Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Visits are available in English from Tuesday-Friday, with the standard tasting  of six wines (18€) in English is at 10:00 am and the full tasting of nine wines (28€) is at 1:00 pm.cTours in Spanish are on Mondays and Saturdays at 11:30 am and 13:30.  Reserve online or call (+34) 956 341 597

Located not far from the church of Santiago at Calle  Cordobeses, 3, has a long history of wine and sherry dating from 1650 and the founding of Bodegas CZ.  Besides the 90-minute tour and tasting of it’s excellent wines and sherries, Tradicion has an outstanding collection of  rare 14th to 19th-century paintings.  Private tours are also available in Spanish, English or German by request.  Call (+34) 956 168 618 / 689 224 162 to schedule a visit.

Founded in 1972, this small family winery is located in the historic flamenco Barrio de San Miguel, in the heart of Jerez, at Calle Barja, 1, just down the street from the church of San Miguel, and 3-minutes walk from Las Banderillas.  It’s also near the monument to Lola Flores ("La Faraona”).  The family produces an excellent Cruz Vieja sherry.  Their vineyard, El Carmen de Montealegre, sits on seven hectares in Pago de Montealegre, where they grow the Palomino Fino and Pedro Ximenez varieties.  We had the chance recently to do a private tasting with the wine maker and enjoyed a full tasing, paired with jamon and local cheeses.  You can call (+34) 622 646 363  or 616 530 423 to arrange a visit.