Jerez
Jerez - or Sherry, or Xérèz - has been the home to Sherry making for around 3000 years - find out more about this ancient city with a thoroughly modern atmosphere.
Tasting Guide
View our interactive tasting guide and learn the essentials to matching Sherry with food.History
One of Britain's most popular wines for nearly 500 years - learn about the multi-cultural influences that have added to Sherry's rich history.Newsletter
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Mealtimes can take a bit of getting used to - Jerezanos normally take a light breakfast between 9am and 10am, an Aperitivo around 1.30pm and then lunch (Comida) around 2.30pm. Later in the day there's merienda - usually just coffee and a pastry - and dinner (Cena) around 9pm - 10pm. All these times get shifted later in the summer due to the heat.
Wherever you are in Jerez, it's a virtual certainty that you can enjoy excellent Sherry usually served well chilled and in generous quantities.
Top 5 for tapas
Excellent hams hanging from the rafters and famed for its shrimp fritters
El Gallo Azul (Calle Large 2, Jerez, tel + 33 956 326 148)
Always busy, great for people watching and set in a beautiful circular historic building
Bar Juanito (Calle Pescaderiá Vieja, Jerez, tel + 34 956 334838)
Award-winning tapas in a quiet, covered alleyway
Romerijo (Ribera del Marisco, El Puerto de Santa Maria, tel + 34 956 541 254)
The largest of the marisquerias, this El Puerto seafood institution is always busy. One room serves boiled seafood, the other fried. Buy your food in a paper cone and enjoy
El Laga de Tio Parrilla (Plaza del Mercado, Jerez, tel + 34 956 338 334)
Two Flamenco performances every night except Sunday - the owner plays the guitar, his mother is the cook and the daughter is a dancer
Top five restaurants
Cutting-edge Spanish food
La Mesa Redonda (Manuel de la Quintana 3, Jerez, tel +34 956 340 069)
Quirky interiors, excellent reputation for using only fresh, local produce and serving traditional Andalucian specialities
El Bosque (Av. Alcade Alvaro Domecq 26, Jerez, tel +34 956 307 030)
One of the town's top eateries with Andalucian specialities served in an elegant dining room
Restaurant Gaitán (Gaitán 3, Jerez, tel +33 956 168 021)
Well-known and widely acclaimed, this Jerez restaurant offers dishes from across Spain at surprisingly reasonable prices
Casa Bigote (Baja de Guia, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, tel + 34 956 362 696)
Old-style grandeur and fantastic sea views from this long-established restaurant - seafood is a speciality