Jerez

Fairly small in comparison to other Andaluz cities, Jerez de la Frontera is a charming, unpretentious little place. It has a sweet city centre filled with squares and endless outdoor places to eat.

Jerez also has its own royal Alcázar palace. It isn’t as impressive as Sevilla’s but is still nice for a mosey round; plus, there are well preserved Arabic baths and old water systems.

 

SIESTA

Despite its lively street life, siesta is taken very seriously here and by 3pm, Jerez was a ghost town. The main reason for this mass desertion was the heat; it got to 39 degrees by mid-afternoon, making it impossible to be out and about.

 

FOOD

I had the best food of my trip in Jerez. Breakfast at Alabores was superb: a mollete (traditional Andaluz bread roll) with jamón y tomate. This is a great spot as it’s hugely popular with the locals (even the policemen ate their breakfast here.) Perfect for people watching.

In the evening, Mesón del Asador serve sublime meaty tapas dishes.

DRINK

Jerez, which literally means sherry, is the heart of Spain’s sherry country. The city’s tabancos, or taverns, typically serve the drink and are great places to go for a taster. (It only costs 1 euro a glass!) There are a variety of different sherries which vary in sweetness, including Fino, Cream, and Oloroso.

Jerez also houses many bodegas, sherry cellars, that offer guided tours.

 

FLAMENCO

The highlight was watching a flamenco performance outside the restaurant El Gallo Azul. Jerez is known as the ‘cradle of flamenco’ and the city is famous for its own bulería music style. Not a tourist in sight, this spontaneous rendition was performed from the soul and for pure enjoyment. It was spellbinding.

 

Understated and undiscovered, Jerez is as authentic as Andalucía gets.

Next stop: the seaside city of Cádiz