Food and Wine in Andalucía

This six-day Andalusian experience combines the astounding culinary scene of Sevilla with three gastronomical day trips and three private cooking classes. 

For a four-day Sevilla experience, see Seville Cooks.

The restaurant kitchen of Willy Moya, the highly acclaimed Sevilla chef, is the stage for your hands-on cooking classes. You will learn to cook authentic Andalusian dishes and then have dinner accompanied by wines chosen by the chef. Willy can choose the menu for each day, or you can request to focus each class on particular dishes, ingredients or themes. Cooking classes are in the afternoons; mornings are for exploring Seville, visiting wineries in Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and touring Ronda–a stunning pueblo blanco–and the Sierra de Aracena where jamón ibérico is produced.

We visit Jerez de la Frontera, the sherry capital of Spain. The bodegas (wineries) there are called wine cathedrals because of their huge vaulted interior space and high ceilings. We discover why they are designed as they are, and how sherry is made. We then have a guided tasting of aged wine. Next we visit Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic coast to indulge in some of Spain’s finest prawns accompanied by Manzanilla, Sanlúcar’s own DO (Denominación de origen) sherry.

We travel to Ronda, considered by many to be the most stunning of Spain’s pueblos blancos, and the Sierra of Aracena, one of Spain’s DO jamón ibérico producing regions.

We stay in Seville, the capital of Andalucía, and arguably its most vibrant city. Our four-star hotel in the heart of the Santa Cruz neighborhood allows for immediate access to the many tabernas and restaurants brimming with tapas. Our guide, a resident gastronomy expert, takes us on a tapas tour of the district. Tapas eaten in a succession of tabernas become dinner.

Andalucía

Andalucía seems exotic, which is not surprising given its history. Andalucía was the center of Moorish Spain from the 8th until the 15th century. You can glimpse that legacy in the whitewashed villages crowning hilltops and the magnificent palace-fortresses and mosques found in Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, Córdoba and Granada. You can hear it in the licks of flamenco guitar drifting down from open windows. You sense its presence in the names of traditional dishes and ingredients.

In Andalucía the cuisine and culinary traditions remain relatively true to their roots. What better place could there be to immerse yourself in the food and wine!

6 Days, 5 Nights

Tapas Tour

Day One Sevilla

Transfer you to your hotel, a group of medieval and Renaissance palaces and houses connected by patios and passageways located in the center of Seville’s historic Santa Cruz district. We gather for jerez (sherry), an ideal prelude to our tapas crawl through the ancient streets, many now pedestrianized. We visit tapas bars in Spain’s tapas capital.

Barrio de Santa Cruz and Cooking

Day Two Sevilla

After breakfast we take a walking tour of the Barrio de Santa Cruz, formerly the Jewish Quarter, and the Royal Alcázar, a 14th century palace built in the Mudéjar style, where the gardens command as much attention as the palace. As lunchtime approaches, a local wine expert takes us on an oenological tour of Spain in a private wine tasting. Lunch is on your own to discover the many guises of Andalusian tapas. After lunch there’s time for a siesta or swimming in the rooftop pool. Then we’re off to our first cooking class in our chef’s restaurant. The menu will focus on some of Andalusia’s most famous recipes and might include variations on gazpacho, and its cousin, salmorejo, rice dishes, seafood, and dessert. After cooking we enjoy our creations.

Bodegas and Prawns on the Atlantic Coast

Day Three Jerez de la Frontera & Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Today’s visit is a must as the sherry bodegas are unique in the world. Jerez is home to myriad bodegas–cavernous palaces housing stack upon stack of wine barrels. We tour our first bodega and learn the intricacies of making sherry, brandy and sherry wine vinegar. After sampling a number of different types of sherry, we move on to a small family-run bodega to sample some remarkable wines. For lunch we travel to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Atlantic seacoast, home of Manzanilla wine, another Denominación de origen sherry. We will enjoy a lavish spread of Andalusian dishes, most notably the famous prawns and shrimp, accompanied by Manzanilla. We return to Seville for our second cooking class, where we continue our immersion into Andalusian cuisine, preparing a multi-course meal. Dinner with wine will be in our instructor’s restaurant.

Neoclassical Bullring in Ronda

Day Four Ronda

En route to Ronda, we visit two small vineyards that are causing a small stir among wine watchers. Our wine tastings feature a number of outstanding reds, accompanied by a sampling of Andalucía’s legendary jamón ibérico, ham from the black-hoofed Iberian pig. We make our way to Ronda for lunch in a fine restaurant that specializes in traditional local fare. Ronda is one of Andalucía’s most beautiful white towns (pueblos blancos) set on two sides of a 120 meter-deep river gorge. Connecting the two sides is a bridge you won’t soon forget! Ronda’s previous incarnations were as the capital of a 14th century Moorish kingdom and as the central hideout spot for roaming 18th century bandits. After visiting the finely preserved Arabic baths and the Neoclassical bullring, we return to Seville.

The World’s Best Ham in the Sierra de Aracena

Day Five Aracena & Cooking

The Sierra of Aracena in the province of Huelva is home to some of the finest jamón ibérico produced in Spain. The region is one of the four Denominación de Origen ham-producing areas of the Peninsula. In this region the Iberian pig is raised on the grasses, herbs and acorns of the dehesa, the tree-studded meadowland. We pay a visit to the pig’s habitat, proceeding afterwards to the curing facilities. A guide explains the process of producing the ham, the curing of which takes 24 to 36 months. We then enjoy lunch in one of the region’s best restaurants. Upon returning to Seville, we enjoy our final cooking class and dinner.

Farewell Sevilla

Day Six Transfer to airport or train station

There is time after breakfast for a brief walk through Seville’s narrow winding streets or a peek into her massive Gothic-Renaissance cathedral. Transfer to the train station or the airport.

What We Include:

• Accommodation for 5 nights
• 3 private cooking classes
• Private tour and tastings in Jerez and Ronda wineries
• Visit the DO ham-producing region of Aracena
• Private tour of Sevilla
• Tapas tour in Sevilla
• Private wine tasting session in Sevilla
• 3 lunches and 4 dinners with wine
• Airport/train station transfers
• All transportation
• Restaurant gratuities
• Epicurean Ways apron and Gourmet Gift Bag

Not Included:

• Airfare to/from Spain
• Meals not specified
• Accident/baggage/trip cancellation insurance
• Gratuities to guides

Pricing:

• SPECIAL OFFER. Reserve for dates through 2008 and save 10%!
• 2-3 participants $2075
• 4-5 participants $1985
• 6-7 participants $1810
• 8-12 participants $1675
• Single supplement $375
• Non-cooking participant Call for price

Prices are per person based on double occupancy. All prices are in U.S. dollars. Minimum group size is 2 people. Maximum group size is 12 people.

Custom dates and activities available. Experiences can be customized for your group, however small. Please inquire.

For a four-day Sevilla experience, see Seville Cooks.

Upcoming Dates:

• Custom dates available
• October 13-18
• November 17-22
• December 14-19
• 2009
• January 11-16
• January 25-30
• February 15-20
• February 22-27
• March 1-6
• March 15-20
• March 22-27
• March 29-April 3
• April 19-24
• May 10-15
• May 17-22
• May 31-June 5
• June 7-12
• 

Reservation

All reservations are subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Please fill out the form below to reserve or to inquire about a tour. If you prefer, call us toll-free at 866-642-2917 or email us at .

Once we confirm your booking by email a deposit of $500 per person is required. We will send you an invoice for the deposit. You may pay securely through PayPal via credit card or bank transfer.

Full payment for the trip is due 60 days before the program begin date. For reservations made less than 60 days before the program begin date, full payment is due at the time of booking.

We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to protect your travel investment. A number of companies offer travel insurance. Epicurean Ways offers our travelers AIG Travel Guard travel insurance. See our Travel Guard ProtectAssist Gold (pdf) or Essential Expanded Silver plan brochures (pdf). Call or email us with any questions regarding travel insurance.

We are very pleased that you have decided to travel with us. We are available to answer any questions you might have. Please email or call 866-642-2917. In Spain call 951-190-478 or 669-109-292.

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Trip Info for Culinary Andalucía

Preferred Dates	Select a date: Custom dates available">Custom dates available October 13-18 November 17-22 December 14-19 2009">2009 January 11-16 January 25-30 February 15-20 February 22-27 March 1-6 March 15-20 March 22-27 March 29-April 3 April 19-24 May 10-15 May 17-22 May 31-June 5 June 7-12 ">
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