We made another day trip from Sevilla to Jerez de la Frontera, which is famous for sherry and horses. We were introduced to sherry on our first trip to Spain in 2007 and are big fans of the sweet dessert sherry, Pedro Ximénez (which is also the name of the grape varietal), but we knew very little about the numerous other types of sherry, especially the dry white style. After visiting two port bodegas in Portugal, we wanted to learn more about how port and sherry differ. So, we hopped on a train and were in Jerez within an hour.
Our first stop was Bodega Lustau for a tour and tasting, in Spanish (of course). There were only four of us on the tour, so it was easy to follow, although our guide spoke a bit fast. Both sherry and port are fortified wines with their own protected designation of origin. Port can only be made from grapes grown in the Douro Valley (Portugal) and sherry can only be made from grapes grown in the Jerez region of Spain. Port and sherry are fortified at different times during the fermentation process. Both are aged for varying lengths of time, depending on the style being produced. We learned about the Solera System of aging sherry, in which the wine is blended in various fractions from different aged barrels. There is a sequential-set of oak barrels used in this process. The magnitude of barrels lined up and stacked is astounding – we walked through football-field sized warehouses with rows upon rows of barrels. In parts you could smell the difference between the types of sherry being aged in the barrels.
The best part of the tour was the tasting. We tried 8 different wines, ranging from fino and manzanillo, the dry white varietals, to oloroso (reds), to the sweet dessert varietals, and also “vermut.” We were surprised but thrilled to finally try Spanish vermouth. Vermouth is a fortified wine as well, but it is aromatized, i.e. infused with herbs and spices, and sweetened. Most people only know vermouth as a martini (or other cocktail) ingredient. Here in Spain, vermouth is very popular and the Spaniards drink it neat or over ice. We really liked it and even bought a bottle of the vermut rojo, along with a bottle of our favorite Pedro Ximénez. We continue to adopt the Spanish customs that please us most.
The week we visited Sevilla also happened to be when Jerez was holding its annual Feria de Caballo (horse fair), so after our sherry tasting, we headed to the Feria. Each May the whole city turns out over the course of a week to celebrate the Andalusian horse culture, flamenco, sherry and food. Most everyone is decked out in their finest traditional garb – this was the first time in Spain that I truly felt under dressed. The photos below show you why. The women were wearing beautiful Sevillanas dresses. Even the horses were dressed up for the occasion. You can ride through the fairgrounds in a horse-drawn carriage, dance the flamenco, and eat your heart out in the various casetas (restaurant stalls).
It was a bit of an overwhelming scene for us. Too many casetas to even know where to start and while the horses are beautiful, exploring the fairgrounds required that you watched where you stepped at all times.
We spent just enough time at the fair to get the feel of it and then headed back into town for a lovely lunch at La Carbona, where the chef has created a tasting menu that matches each course with a sherry wine. This was much more our speed than the horse fair. We enjoyed it so much, including the people watching, that I forgot to take pictures of the best dishes and the few photos I took didn’t do the food justice.
Jerez was a worthy day trip. Perhaps next time we'll go back and see a show at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.
Hasta Luego,
Shana and Jeff
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