Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

This Andalucian jewel offers modern restaurants and inviting Sherry bars, not to mention unmissable bodegas.

Jerez de la Frontera 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 www.sherry.org and www.turismojerez.com.

Introduction:

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.

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.

Translated by Sylvia Wu / 吴嘉溦