Jerez de la Frontera, with about 213,000 inhabitants, is the largest city in the province of Cádiz and one of the biggest in Andalusia. It is world-famous for three things: sherry, horses and flamenco. De la Frontera recalls its role as a frontier town facing the kingdom of Granada after the Christian conquest of 1264.
Sherry
Jerez forms the sherry triangle with El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The wine, made mainly from the Palomino grape and aged in the criaderas y soleras system, has been exported for centuries, especially to England. Many historic bodegas offer tours and tastings, such as González Byass (Tío Pepe), Lustau, Sandeman, Fundador, Williams & Humbert and Tradición, with a collection of Spanish painting.
Horses
The Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre stages How the Andalusian Horses Dance, with Andalusian horses performing high-school dressage. In May the Horse Fair, of international tourist interest, fills González Hontoria park with casetas, riders and carriages. See also Seville's April Fair.
Flamenco
Jerez is considered a cradle of flamenco, with the Gitano quarters of Santiago and San Miguel and great artists such as Lola Flores and La Paquera de Jerez. The Festival de Jerez, between February and March, is one of the world's leading flamenco dance festivals. Peñas and tabancos, old wine taverns, host impromptu performances.
What to see
- The Alcázar, a 12th-century Almohad fortress with a mosque, baths, gardens and a camera obscura.
- The Baroque cathedral, next to the Alcázar.
- Plaza de la Asunción and the old town.
- The Andalusian Flamenco Centre, in the Pemartín palace.
- The Charterhouse of Jerez, just outside town, with its Gothic-Baroque façade.
Motorcycling
The Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto hosts the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix every year, drawing tens of thousands of fans.
Getting there
Jerez airport is about 8 km away. The city is on the Seville-Cádiz railway, about an hour from Seville and half an hour from Cádiz.