Jerez de la Frontera, with only 200,000 inhabitants, is home to three Spanish icons – flamenco, sherry, and the Carthusian breed of Andalusian horses.
There’s a darkness to Jerez de la Frontera that might not be immediately obvious. As you stroll the pleasant, tree-lined streets here, or wander narrow old-town alleys, as you call past busy markets and table-strewn plazas it can seem as if this southern Spanish city just basks in the rays of its good fortune, its warm weather, its prosperity.I’m sitting on a creaky wooden chair in Tabanco el Pasaje, a sweaty, tiny club and restaurant in central Jerez.
It helps to give some context to Jerez de la Frontera. This is quite an incredible city, a place of only 200,000 inhabitants, and yet home to three Spanish icons, known around the world: flamenco, sherry wine, and the Carthusian breed of Andalusian horses. Think of Spain and there’s a very good chance that what you’re picturing will either originate from Jerez, or be regularly practised here.The sherry is pure joy.