Jerez de la Frontera tourist information

Enjoy the best horses and flamenco show in Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez lies some nine miles inland from the sea between Cadiz and Sevilla in the south of Spain and is the principal of three sherry towns. The others are on the coast are Sanlucar de Barrameda at the mouth of the ríver Guadalquivir, and Puerto de Santa Maria. Between them they produce virtually all the genuine sherry that is shipped to the rest of the world.


There is not much difference between the wines of Jerez and Puerto de Santa Maria, except that the latter are noted for their fino and amontillado types of sherry. Sanlucar, however, produces quite different wines: all the manzanilla is made there, wíth its distinctive fresh flavour that cannot be reproduced anywhere else.


Despite such a short distance between them the wine produced will be affected by any slight change in the atmosphere or climate.

Jerez de la Frontera became famous throughout the world for its sweet wines named after the town, which the British pronounced "sherry". It is called "de la Frontera" because it once stood on the frontier between the Moorish and the Christian realms. Jerez is also famous, throughout the world, for its fine horses and brilliant singers and dancers of flamenco.

The distinctive wine in Jerez has been exported for centuries, it was even praised by Shakespeare. It is distinctive because the strong sun gives the grapes a high sugar content. British merchants have been involved in the wine trade here for centuries, producing and shipping a fortified wine known as sherry. Famous names of these dynasties can be seen here over the doors of the bodegas; Sandeman, John Harvey, Domecq, Gonzalez Byass.


The Spanish word bodega means "cellar", but it has the generical meaning of "wine manufacturer". You can take a guided tour of the many Jerez bodegas. Some of the companies such as Gonzalez Byass, Pedro Domecq and Sandeman – British winemakers have been active here for centuries, which is why many of the names have an Anglo-Saxon ring to them – provided guided tours of the cellars on weekdays, followed by sampling of the various types of wine produced.

But Jerez is also world famous for its magnificent dancing horses, which you can see at the Real Escuela Andaluza de Arte Equestre – the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art, at Avenida de Abrantes. Jerez celebrates its famous Horse Fair at the beginning of May each year.

Jerez is also famous for its long-standing flamenco tradition, making it an excellent place to witness this extraordinary art.
The Centro Andaluz de Flamenco is housed in the Palacio de Penmartín, which stands on the Plaza de San Juan, No. 1.
Jerez has its own airport, Aeropuerto de la Parra, 7 kilometres north of the town on the NIV to Seville.