This October will see ITAA members and suppliers head to Jerez, the beating heart of Southern Spain, for the ITAA conference 2015. In advance of the highly anticipated conference, we asked travel blogger of the year, Tom Sweeney* to pen a few words on Jerez, a town he knows well, as a quick guide to the city and some insider tips.
Tom lived in Spain for 11 years and has been a regular visitor to Jerez since the mid-1980s. Synonymous with sherry, flamenco and dancing horses, the southern Andalucian city is a dream long-weekend destination. Here’s Tom’s take on one of his favourite Spanish escapes. Roll on the ITAA conference 2015!
Bakin’ and eggs
August can see the beautiful city of Jerez get extremely hot – 40ºC is not unusual. It’s the only place where I’ve ever seen someone frying an egg on the pavement. Not because his cooker wasn’t working – but instead to offer a photo opportunity to tourists. It was cracking business for the enterprising Spaniard with the spatula.
In spring and autumn the average afternoon temperature is a more tolerable 25ºC – perfect for sitting in the shade of an orange tree and sipping a chilled dry sherry.
Eat, drink sherry and be merry
Visiting Jerez without doing a sherry tasting is like visiting Dublin without trying a Guinness, so this should be top of your list during the ITAA Conference 2015. Finos, such as top-seller Tio Pepe (Uncle Joe), are crisp and fresh. If you see someone with a glass of fino, a plate of Serrano ham is always within reach.
Amontillados are the fellas with flavour – los señores con los sabores. Nutty and nice, they’re usually served with big fat olives. The sweet and dark olorosos invariably make their appearance at the end of a meal and are the perfect accompaniment to dessert – cheese and oloroso were made for each other.
Flirty dancing
Seville sells itself as the home of flamenco, and with some justification, but the bewitching buleria version from Jerez is the raunchy real deal that makes Riverdance look like the Hokey Cokey. The best show in town can be seen each night in the Pura Arte Tablao Flamenco. Even with the air-con going full blast, audiences get hot under the collar watching the foot-stomping males and females tread the floorboards.
The mane attraction
An altogether more subtle, but no less spectacular, display of dancing draws appreciative crowds each midday to the renowned Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Arts. For many, it’s the highlight of their visit to Jerez.
The horses that dance, prance and do everything else on four legs that prima ballerinas do on two aren’t all white, but they are all pure-bred Andalucian and absolutely magnificent. And as soon as the music strikes up, they’re hot to trot.
See, señor
Make the pretty Plaza del Arenal your starting point for a sightseeing wander through the sun-dappled streets, full of grand old palacios that were once home to the ridiculously-rich Anglo-Hispanic sherry dynasties. Drop by Bodegas Tio Pepe and see how fino is produced (in the warehouse the guide will point out a huge barrel signed by Picasso). Opt to visit Bodegas Tradicion and you can also view paintings by Velazquez and Goya.
The 12th Century Moorish fortress, the Alcazar, evokes images of Arabian nights. Climb one of the towers to the camera obscura for quirky panoramic views of the city.
Sea, señor
Venture a little farther afield and tuck in to a memorable lunch in one of the beachside restaurants serving freshly-caught fish and shellfish in the picturesque port of Sanlucar de Barrameda (45-minute drive).
Try something as simple as plump, succulent sardines, skewered on wooden stakes and grilled over glowing embers. Or order my favourite, half-a-dozen razor clams cooked in – what else? – sherry sauce.
Are you attending the ITAA Conference 2015? Tweet us @TravelMedia_ie and let us know!
*Tom Sweeney won the inaugural Best Travel Blog award at the 2015 Travel Media Awards. Tom is the author of Tom Sweeney’s Travels.