Jerez De La Frontera (Andalucia, Spain)
If you are looking for one of the quintessential Andalucian experiences, you must visit Jerez de la Frontera. For two reasons; the town is known as the Sherry (Jerez) capital of Spain, and secondarily it is the home of the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, where you can see a very special performance of the most magnificent stallions whose spirited performances take place every Thursday during the summer at the royal riding school, adjacent to the historic 19th century Palacio de las Cadenas. These horses and their performances rival the famous Lipizzaner’s that many have heard of. The riders put on a very nice show.
Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art
There are several very well know Sherry makers in the city, but Sandeman is the one I like and the place I visit when I am in the city. They offer tours along with taste testing the sherries at the culmination of the tour. I always order the full flight, which allows you to sample 6 different Sherries, you can also order some tapas to go along with the wine sampling.
Tio Pepe Sherry Caves
Prepare yourself for an interesting historical trip down the Sherry highway, and it makes for a wonderful late afternoon visit. You can take a respite from the summer heat while in the building and storage rooms. They also have a very nice gift store where you can buy any of their Sherries along with other mementos of your visit to Tio Pepe.
Last time there, I purchased a 15-year-old Sherry as a gift for my uncle.
One of Tio Pepe’s Guest Tasters
While exploring the storage cellars at the winery, you might encounter a mouse or two enjoying a glass of their famous sherry. The story goes that one of the winery workers had a soft spot for the cellar guests and found it unfair that he could have all the sherry he wanted while the mice couldn’t. So, to remedy this situation, he built a small ladder leading up a glass of sherry for the mice to enjoy the wine. And today, a full glass and the ladder are placed out every morning for the mice to sample Tio Pepe sherry.
Note that, unfortunately, the mice are not for sale in the gift shop though!
