People gravitate to the southern Andalusian town of Jerez de la Frontera for many reasons. To see the annual grand prix motorcycle race and Formula One, to partake in the Feria de Jerez during Semana Santa, or Holy Week, or to see the unique Cathusian horse. But, let’s face it, the principal reason that people come here is to partake in the magnificent activity of sherry tasting in Jerez.
Afterall, Jerez is home to a majority of the planet’s sherry distilleries. This is why you come to Jerez! The other things—the horses, racecars, processions and Michelin-starred restaurants—are really just a bonus.
Where to go sherry tasting in Jerez
During your bodega or winery visits in Jerez, don’t expect to go traipsing through vineyard-blanketed fields. Most bodegas in Jerez are in the center of town. Instead, when sherry tasting in Jerez, you’re more likely to be lingering in centuries-old store-houses, lined with oak barrels.
You’ll learn in great detail how sherry is made, why it’s stored the way it is, and for how long it is aged. You’ll also learn about esoteric chalk markings on the cask barrels. Hint: it involves an old, complex, and intriguing classification system.
There are about a dozen bodegas in Jerez that do tours, but the wineries below are your best bet to have a superior sherry experience.
Bodegas Tradición
There is more than one great reason to visit Bodegas Tradición in Jerez – its has sherries that have been aged from 20 to 30 years. So you’re really getting a taste of the past. But, in addition the bodega also displays a major-art-museum-worthy collection of art from the 14th to the 19th centuries. This includes works by Goya, El Greco, and Velázquez. The tours last about 90 minutes and includes a tasting. Be sure to book in advance.
Bodegas González-Byass
This family-run winery has produced high-quality sherry since 1835. Bodegas González-Byass is best known for the brand of sherry they famously make: Tio Pepe. There are several types of tours you can take here—visits that include sherry tastings, of course, but also tours that include tapas and premium sherry sips.
Bodegas Lustau
Since the late 19th century, Lustau has been producing excellent sherry. Here on the vine-shaded courtyards and inside the barrel-stacked warehouses of the winery, you can opt for two types of visits. There is a shorter one that includes 5 different wines plus vermouth, or a longer tour that includes 7 wines and two vermouths!
Emilio Hidalgo
The bodega Emilio Hidalgo has been in the business of producing high-quality sherry since 1874. Going to the historic 19th-century complex makes for a fun and interesting tour. Today you can acquire bottles of this fine sherry all over the world but the best place to sip it is right in Jerez.
Bodegas Fundador
Take a guided stroll around this ancient winery, learning about the history of Fundador. Then finish off your visit by sampling some of the premium varieties of sherry that they produce. The company was founded in 1730 by an Irishman, so there’s a lot to take in, both history and sherry.
Where did sherry come from?
The Viniculture, or the fermentation of grapes to produce wine, dates back to when the Phoenicians introduced it to the Iberian peninsula in 1100 B.C. About 900 years later, the Romans came and continued the tradition of making wine. However, when the Arabs took over a vast swath of Iberia, including Andalusia, they introduced the process of making fortified wines. And … sherry was born!
Don’t be surprised to see a lot of English place names and company names while in Jerez, and the nearby towns of Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlùcar de Barrameda. This is because over the following years, Great Britain became a huge market for sherry consumption. Therefore several wealthy British families ended up opening their own sherry cellars and bodegas (or wineries) in Jerez.
In fact, Sir Francis Drake is credited with making sherry popular in England in the 16th century after raiding several sherry bodegas in Jerez. A century earlier, Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with bottles of sherry on his ships. Even Shakespeare, the great bard, has mentioned sherry in his stories.
What exactly is sherry?
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that the Arabs first introduced to the Iberian peninsula. It is usually made from the Palomino Fino grape and has a variety of styles and tastes.
You can try everything from very sweet to bone dry, young to cask aged, and it is often blended using the solera system which means regularly adding younger wine to an aging cask barrel (and the other way around). This helps create a complex taste in the sherry while at the same time keeping it bright and fresh and more balanced.
How is sherry made?
After turning grape juice into an alcoholic libation through fermentation, the fortification process of making sherry starts by adding a grape-based spirit and continues to fortify until the wine reaches an alcohol level of about 15%.
Since the wines are fermented first and fortified second, the sherry is often dry at first with some sweetness coming later. This happens by adding the sweet Moscatel and/or Pedre Ximénez grapes. But it’s a mistake to think that all sherries are sweet. They’re not. There are many dry varieties too.
The Solera system
The solera system is a fascinating aging process unique to sherry. Instead of aging in isolation, older and younger wines are blended across stacked barrels in stages, ensuring consistency and complexity. It means every bottle of sherry contains traces of wine that could be decades old, a living blend of history in each sip. Therefore there is often not a specific vintage or year that is put on the bottle.
What to eat with sherry
There is a general rule of thumb about pairing food and sherry.
- Manzanilla and fino varieties go best with seafood and fish
- Oloroso is best paired with pork, lamb, and beef.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule.
If you have a nice bottle of Manzanilla, save it for an evening when you have some very fresh fish, including sushi. For fino, Spanish dishes like patatas bravas, pan tomaca, and tortilla are great. So is anything fried, such as Japanese-style tempura.
Or the oloroso variety, pork is one of the best ingredients that pairs with it. So, jamon Iberico de bellota, presa, secreto Iberico, lagarto, and many other cuts of pork go very well. Also, lamb and beef, as well as foie gras and heavy stews.
FAQ´s – sherry tasting in Jerez
How do you properly taste sherry?
Start by holding the glass by the stem to avoid warming the wine. Take a moment to notice the color and aroma, then sip slowly, letting the flavor linger. Locals often pair different sherries with differen tapas to enhance the flavor. For example, Fino with olives or seafood, and Oloroso with cured meats or cheese.
When is the best time to go sherry tasting in Jerez?
The ideal time to visit is spring or autumn, when the weather is warm but comfortable and the vineyards are at their most picturesque. For an even more immersive experience, plan your trip during the Feria del Caballo (Horse Fair) in May — a lively local celebration where sherry flows freely alongside music, dance, and Andalusian culture.
Is sherry only a sweet wine?
Not at all. Many people associate sherry with sweetness, but in fact, the majority of sherries are dry. Fino and Amontillado, for example, are as crisp as a white wine, while Pedro Ximénez and Cream Sherries are rich and syrupy, which is why they are also the perfect pairing for dessert. There’s a style for every palate.
If you don’t have the time to leave Seville for a trip to Jerez (although you really should go!) one of the best ways to try local sherry is by taking a food tour in Seville. Our small group Seville Food Tour will lead you to Seville’s most storied tapas bars (some over 150 years old!). Join us to tour the Jewish Quarter and Arenal districts and taste the famous Iberian ham, orange wine, delicious sherry, and more.