Jerez
The most underrated wine in the world, in the heart of Andalucía.
Jerez: the home of Palomino (Sherry)
Sherry is the great misunderstood wine: not the sweet stuff in your grandmother's cupboard, but a range that runs from bone-dry and saline to dark and decadent, all from the Palomino grape grown on chalk-white soils near the Andalucian coast. Jerez, the town that gives it its name, is a warm, flamenco-and-horses introduction to one of wine's best-value secrets.
The wines
Dry Fino and Manzanilla are crisp, salty and made for tapas. Amontillado and Oloroso are nutty and richer. Pedro Ximénez is intensely sweet, almost like liquid raisins. The ageing system, the solera, blends across vintages for consistency.
Where to go
The great bodegas of Jerez de la Frontera and nearby Sanlúcar de Barrameda offer some of the most atmospheric cellar visits anywhere, cathedral-like halls full of stacked barrels. Seville is an easy add-on for a fuller Andalucian trip.
Eat
Sherry is the ultimate food wine. Chilled Fino or Manzanilla with fried fish, jamón and olives is the Andalucian way, and it is hard to beat.
Getting there
Fly into Jerez or Seville, then reach the bodegas on foot or by short taxi within town. The region links easily with a wider Andalucia itinerary.
Know the wine before you go.
The app teaches you Palomino (Sherry) in five minutes, then helps you order it with confidence. Learn the grape, then come back and plan the trip.
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Jerez, quick answers.
Is all sherry sweet?
No. Most sherry is bone dry, including Fino and Manzanilla. Only certain styles, like Pedro Ximénez and cream sherry, are sweet.
What is a solera?
The traditional sherry ageing system, where wine is drawn from the oldest barrels and topped up from younger ones, blending across years for a consistent style.
Is Jerez worth visiting?
Very. The bodega tours are among the most spectacular in wine, the town is full of flamenco and horse culture, and Seville is close by.
