Cádiz & The Land of Sherry

Cádiz resembles little else in southern Spain. Surrounded by water on three sides with a gorgeous intact historic center, the city marks its own rhythm. Once a shipping center for the business of sherry and of New World cargo, today it seems to float timelessly and exist solely for our delight. Sherry country is close by in Jerez and Sanlúcar, and you’ll have two days of immersion in the wines some say are the best match for modern eclectic cuisines.

Trip At A Glance

5 Days / 4 nights

Cádiz – 2 days in Cádiz and 2 day trips to Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Day 1 in Cádiz

Explore the historic city by the water with a private guide before visiting one of the best markets in Spain.

Day 2 in Jerez de la Frontera

Dive into the world of sherry and learn the styles, from fino all the way through to Pedro Ximénez.

Day 3 in Cádiz

A private wine tasting of the other wines of Cádiz called vinos de pasto. Like nothing you’ve ever tasted!

Day 4 in Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Sanlúcar, or little Cádiz, makes a slightly salty style of sherry called manzanilla. Try it with the local prawns–a revelation!

Day 1 – Cádiz Seafood, Tapas and Taverns

Arrival in Cádiz
Cádiz walking tour, taberna stop & market tapas
Free time
Dinner at Casa Lazo Restaurant
Overnight Hotel Casa Cánovas, Cádiz

Cádiz

The city of Cádiz lies on the end of an island extending into the Atlantic Bay of Cádiz, leaving the beautiful historic center with water on three sides. Here you will find colonial-style buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, many built after the city was damaged by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and during its days as the center of trade with the overseas Spanish Empire. The small beach of La Caleta in the city center has stood in for Havana in films. Despite its historic architecture, Cádiz is a dense, living city with lively bars and restaurants extending through its old quarter and down along its long, sandy beaches. It’s the perfect place to get away from the heat of summer and the cold of winter, a world of its own that looks out onto the Atlantic rather than towards Madrid.Vejer de la Frontera

The towns of San Fernando, Puerto Real, El Puerto de Santa María, and Rota line the Bay of Cádiz, each with its own seaside character. Heading south towards Gibraltar lies the Costa de la Luz, with spectacular unmarred beaches and some of the sunniest weather in Spain. Excellent fresh-caught fish and shellfish are abundant, as well as the atún de almadraba from Barbate. Slightly inland you will find the pueblos blancos, with Vejer de la Frontera the first shining example. Towering over the surrounding countryside in pure white, Vejer feels like a step back in time. The narrow streets have many secrets to discover.

Cuisine in Cádiz

Cádiz may be said to be pristine, and nowhere is this more apparent than the cuisine, the bars, and the restaurants of the province. Restaurants, bars, markets and specialty shops offer a dizzying array of local, seasonal products, along with extensive advice about the arcane aspects of preparing dishes such as cazón en adobo, atún encebollado, or the plato estrella, berza gaditana.

Ultramarinos and food stores that double as bars offer local charcuterie and cheese, ranging from exquisite mojama (dried bluefin tuna) to Payoyo cheese from the Cádiz mountains and chicharrones especiales (cured pork belly), accompanied by sherry, local still wines, or the ever-present cañas of ice-cold Cruzcampo beer.

The tapas bars and unassuming restaurants are as varied as they are numerous: freidurias that sell pescadito frito (fried fish) in paper cones; fisherman’s bars serving whatever they received that morning from the day’s catch; roadside ventas offering country menus featuring Retinto beef, snails and wild boar; institutions with classic photos on the walls, uniformed waiters, and classics on the menu; restaurants with paper tablecloths clothespinned to metal tables that serve better seafood than can be found in whole cities; innovative spots where young chefs or wise veterans transcend the traditions to breathe new life into the splendid ingredients; three Michelin star Aponiente Restaurant´s chef Ángel Leon redefining the entire meaning of seafood without losing sight of the terroir. Even just scratching the surface, Cádiz is a must-taste for anyone who loves good eating.

Walking Tour and Market Visit

Enjoy a private walking tour of the old town of Cadiz, learning about the city’s growth as Spain’s port to the Americas in the 18th century and its unique architecture and geography. Stop by Taberna La Manzanilla, a traditional taberna, for a manzanilla and two olives before visiting the market in Cádiz. This market is, in our opinion, one of Spain’s best markets if only for its seafood selection. Then sit down at one of the tables just outside the market and order some tapas from the eating stalls and small shops stocked with local charcuterie, cheese and wine.

Taberna La Manzanilla

Taberna La Manzanilla, founded in the 1930s as the Cádiz outpost of a manzanilla sherry bodega (winery) from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of manzanilla, amontillado, or even oloroso before eating at one of the fantastic restaurant nearby. At first glance, it’s hard to identify any changes since its founding nearly a century ago. Ancient sherry bottles and promotional items cover the walls and fill glass cases, accompanied by well-aged bullfighting posters. The main attraction, however, is the pile of barrels behind the bar. Today La Manzanilla serves exclusively sherry aged in their own barrels, which have never been emptied since the founding of the taberna. Each glass is served with exactly two stuffed olives, and the bill is tracked in chalk on the dark wooden bar. Traditionally these sherry wine bars have also sold wine straight from the barrel in bottles to go, and La Manzanilla keeps this tradition alive, with prices listed by the liter.

Dinner at Casa Lazo

A wood-panelled storefront with glass displays full of gourmet products hides behind it a tapas bar and restaurant serving the highest quality products: Casa Lazo. Casa Lazo began as a store selling Iberian ham and charcuterie before becoming the local star eatery it is today. Iberian pork is a key attraction here, in the form of top jamón ibérico and other cured meats as well as fresh cuts cooked impeccably. But you’ll find a great selection of other products here, from traditional tapas to selected beef and lamb from the best producers in Spain to local fish and shellfish, including bluefin tuna from the almadrabas of the Cádiz coast. Don’t miss the wine list, written in chalk behind the bar and featuring numerous fine wines from Spain’s great regions.

Day 2 – Jerez de la Frontera Sherry Wine Tour

Transfer to Jerez
Faustino González winery visit
Fernando de Castilla winery visit
Lunch at A Mar
Transfer back to Cádiz

Jerez de la Frontera

Every wine enthusiast should visit Jerez for an experience unlike any other. The inland city of Cádiz province, Jerez de la Frontera is pure Andalusia, the land of sherry and flamenco and horses and bullfights. The old town mixes quiet streets and scenic plazas with bustling tapas bars and sunny restaurant terraces. Jerez feels like a small version of Sevilla as it once was, relaxed and energetic, traditional and inspired. The sherry houses, cavernous wine warehouses in the center of town, are full of shadows and history and old barrels each containing a surprising liquid jewel. To walk through one of these “cathedrals of wine” and taste straight sherry from the barrel is one of the world’s essential wine experiences. The cuisine of Jerez is a wonderfully eclectic mixture of coastal and mountain influences. The city’s proximity to the coast brings access to the best seafood from the ports of the province, while its inland location ensures a healthy dedication to meat, game, and hearty vegetable dishes. Jerez is one of the main centers of flamenco in Spain and has a large gypsy population. You can see amazing performances at the traditional tabancos (tabernas) here, but the music is also alive in the city and you can easily hear locals singing as they walk down the street. The historic buildings of the center help complete Jerez’s atmospheric feel. This is one of Andalusia’s hidden wonders, an enchanting bolthole for the discerning traveler.

Jerez is known above all of course for sherry–that distinctive Andalusian wine that ranges from bone dry finos and manzanillas to aged amontillados and olorosos to sweet wines. Sherry is the iconic wine of the Spanish south and Jerez de la Frontera is its home. The majesty of sherry becomes visible inside the bodegas of the center of Jerez. Row upon row of ancient barrels filled with everything from young fino to 100-year-old amontillado or brandy. These cavernous cellars, with high ceilings and upper windows for ventilation, are built to keep the wine cool in the torrid Jerez summers. Walking from one room to the next through patios covered in grapevines and decorated with hand-painted tiles is a journey back in time.

Sherry

Sherry is the most famous wine in Andalusia, mainland Spain’s southernmost region. It is produced in the Sherry Triangle formed by the cities of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. It is a very unusual style of wine for two reasons. The first is that sherry is fortified with alcohol and bottled as a blend of vintages. The second is that sherry is not one style of wine but a family of wines ranging from dry wines like light-colored fino and full-bodied oloroso to sweet Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel. Today the wine world is held in rapture by the extraordinary dry fortified wines being made in Jerez.

Faustino González Winery Visit

Every wine enthusiast should visit Jerez for an experience tasting biological and oxidative aged wines. Surprisingly, nearly all sherry wineries are in town, which means that exploring the undiscovered jewel that is Jerez, tasting sherry and pairing sherries with your lunch will keep you eye-level with the locals. Visit a family-owned bodega in central Jerez making some of the finest sherries available today with a member of the family. Your masterclass will begin with biologically aged sherry, where a vertical tasting of finos straight from the barrel will give you a fascinating portrait of fino sherry’s aging process. After tasting the finos move to the tiny painted tables in the picturesque patio to learn about what happens to sherry as it ages and oxidizes. Amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado–you will know what those words mean, and how they taste, after this immersion.

Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla Winery Visit

Norwegian Jan Pettersen worked at sherry and brandy giant Osborne for years before he decided to embark on his own project. In 2000 he bought Fernando de Castilla, known for its brandies, and began to apply his expertise to sherry and brandy. The results have been stunning. Today there is an introductory line of sherries, with the Fino en Rama as the highlight. Then come the Antique sherries, with eye-catching single-letter labels of F for fino, A for amontillado, and so on. Though they carry no VORS certificate, all but the fino are over 20 years old, and they are among the greatest sherries being bottled today. Petterson has quickly created one of the most respected sherry brands in Jerez. But he didn’t forget about brandy: Fernando de Castilla is a top-notch Brandy de Jerez house, aging some for up to 40 years in old sherry casks. This is a sherry house that will surely be among the names that survive a century from now, an instant classic.

Lunch at A Mar

A Mar, tucked away on a pedestrian street just off Jerez’s main square, serves some of the best market-driven cuisine in the city. On a hot day you might sit in the elegant dining room, but the outdoor terrace is the main destination in Jerez’s mild, sunny climate. As the name might suggest (A Mar meaning “to sea”) fish and seafood are a specialty, from local shellfish and cephalopods to whole baked or grilled fish. The menu has something for everyone however, including excellent renditions of classic tapas, vegetable dishes, and top-notch beef and Iberian pork. The wine list here is also a draw, including dozens of sherries and red and white wines by the glass alongside a well-chosen bottle list that features plenty of local wines. Attentive service and a relaxed atmosphere make A Mar an all-around great spot to eat in the Sherry capital.

Transfer back to Cádiz.

Day 3 – Cádiz Water & Light

Free morning in Cádiz
Wine Tasting in Cádiz
Appetizer at Taberna Casa Manteca and Dinner at El Faro Restaurant
Overnight Hotel Casa Cánovas, Cádiz

Wine Tasting in Cádiz

Join a local wine expert for a tasting of some of the exciting new white wines from sherry country. The Palomino grape planted in chalky soils that is used to make sherry has proven itself capable of making fascinating white wines. A new generation of talented winemakers has proven this with their limited-edition releases that have become cult wines around the world. These pure expressions of the terroir of Jerez and its surroundings are the perfect introduction to the world of sherry. You’ll taste some of the best examples, including so-called vinos de pasto, white wines aged in barrel with the layer of flor yeast that defines fino and manzanilla sherry.

Drink and an Appetizer at Taberna Casa Manteca

Walk on the seaside paseo to Casa Manteca for mojama and chicharrones all served on sheets of butcher’s paper and washed down with local sherry. Taberna Casa Manteca is famous in Cádiz, and for good reason. Originally a neighborhood store, in the 1950s it was converted into a tapas bar after the clientele started eating (and drinking) their purchases there. The founder had briefly been a bullfighter, and the inside of the bar is covered in bullfighting memoribilia, including some from Pepe El Manteca himself. Casa Manteca serves mainly papelones, portions of sliced charcuterie or cheese served on pieces of the paper used to wrap cheese for sale. They are best known for chicharrones, pork belly that has been cooked whole with spices, sliced thin, and served cold, often with lemon and salt. Enjoy them accompanied by a glass of sherry or wine from the extensive selection by the glass.

Dinner at El Faro Restaurant

Located in the heart of Cádiz’s La Viña district, and very close to Taberna Casa Manteca, El Faro is the definition of an institution. Since opening in 1964 it has served carefully prepared gaditano cuisine with impeccable classic service. The tapas bar is always full and features a two-sided standing-only bar that was recently redone without losing its character. The bar serves classics such as tortillitas de camarones and pescadito frito alongside creative and updated tapas based on local seafood. The white tablecloth restaurant is connected to the tapas bar; both locales share the kitchen but the restaurant offers an extended menu without the tapas, perfect for long lunches or dinners.

Day 4 – Sanlúcar & the Art of Manzanilla

Transfer to Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Barbadillo winery visit
Bodegas Alonso winery visit
Lunch at Casa Bigote
Transfer back to Cádiz
Dinner at Almanaque Casa de Comidas
Overnight Cádiz

Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Where the Guadalquivir River, once the trade waterway to the Spanish overseas Empire, empties into the Atlantic lies Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a surprising and enchanting food and wine destination and Spain’s Gastronomic Capital in 2022. Forming one corner of the Sherry triangle, this riverfront town is best known in Spain as the home of manzanilla sherry, a pale colored, fresh, salty even, style of sherry wine. The Guadalquivir River delta gives rise to Sanlúcar’s second claim to fame, after manzanilla– the langostino de Sanlúcar, a delicious prawn that thrives in the brackish waters off the coast here. This single ingredient rises above the rest in the restaurants of Sanlúcar. But in fact all of the readily available fresh seafood coming daily into Sanlúcar pairs extremely well with the light manzanilla made here.

Sanlúcar has emerged as the center of a new wine movement in sherry country. Using the sames grapes grown throughout the Sherry Triangle–palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel– the “new” winemakers are focused on single vineyard wines and instead of fortified sherry-style wines they are making dry, unfortified white wines. Many of the small growers are in or around Sanlúcar, keeping the wine culture strong and providing fertile ground for young innovators to create new projects.

Barbadillo Winery Visit

Barbadillo winery in Sanlúcar’s historic Barrio Alto is one of the great historic sherry houses. Not only do they make a range of classic manzanillas and other sherries, but they are the instigators of the new sherry movement. Thanks to their talented enologist Montse Molina and their consulting “rebel” winemaker Armando Guerra, they have released a number of ground breaking wines to shake up sherry and the white wines from Cádiz made from the same grape as sherry. From white wines aged in sherry casks to vintage manzanillas and bottlings of rare old sherries, Barbadillo is a sherry titan. You will taste through their white wines and their light manzanillas.

Bodegas Alonso Winery Visit

When a sherry winery is sold or goes out of business, the barrels full of old wine that make up the solera system don’t go away. They pass to the new owner and reappear, sometimes under a new name. Local wine experts have an encyclopedic memory for the genealogy of sherries, but in the case of Bodegas Alonso the history is simple. Pedro Romero was the king of sherry in Sanlúcar, with an empire including old soleras of the finest sherries and beautiful winery buildings to house them in. When Romero’s empire collapsed, two winemaking brothers bought the rarest old wines from Romero’s estate and the wine cellars in the center of Sanlúcar and created Bodegas Alonso. The bottlings from these centenarian soleras form the core of Bodegas Alonso’s world-class sherries, joined by manzanilla and other younger wines made from their own vineyards. Very old wines and exceptional younger wines make Alonso the stars of sherry in Sanlúcar today.

Lunch at Casa Bigote

The star product of Sanlúcar’s cuisine has to be the local langostino, and Casa Bigote is the place to eat it. This beachfront institution, comprising an outdoor terrace, a popular bar, and several dining rooms, prepares the langostinos caught in the brackish water visible from the restaurant impeccably, offering them cooked quickly in boiling water or grilled. No trip to Casa Bigote is complete without a plate of langostinos, perhaps accompanied by the gamba blanca shrimp from nearby Huelva, and a glass of cold manzanilla sherry, but that’s not all that you can eat here. The menu features the best products from the area, from bluefin tuna to clams to squid to local fish whose names exist only in Sanlúcar. Despite being a classic Sanlúcar spot, many of the preparations on the menu are innovative, combining interesting flavors together while maintaining an obsession with fresh, quality product. The best match for the menu is Sanlúcar manzanilla, whether filled from one of the barrels inside Casa Bigote or from a special bottle. After your meal, you can take in the Bajo de Guía waterfront, whether from your chair or while strolling down it and reflecting on a meal at one of Andalusia’s great temples to seafood.

Dinner at Almanaque Casa de Comidas

Opened by two Cádiz natives who worked together at two Michelin star Ricard Camarena restaurant in Valencia, Almanaque Casa de Comidas is dedicated to rediscovering the recipes and ingredients of Cadiz home cooking and bringing them to life with impeccable preparations. The small, cozy space in the heart of Cádiz’s old town features tables and an outside terrace. Sit down and you’ll be greeted by expert staff who will recommend plates from a menu of tapas and shared plates that changes daily. Expect plates based on seasonal vegetables, fish, and meat that allow the incredibly fresh products to shine. You’ll usually find an excellent rice dish on the menu, a specialty picked up in Valencia that’s always a good choice. The wine list features selections from small producers in the region and other parts of Spain that pair great with the dishes, many of them available by the wine glass. Almanaque has only been open for a few years, but it’s already making a case for itself as the most exciting restaurant in Cádiz.

Hotel

Cádiz - 4 nights

Casa Cánovas - A historic palatial house in the heart of Cadiz’s old town has been converted into a beautiful boutique hotel. The design and materials of the building merge seamlessly with the elegant redesign. The public spaces and rooms are enchanting and comfortable. Don’t miss the Italian restaurant and tapas bar on the ground floor, perfect for a drink or a dinner in after a day of touring. The passionate and creative Italian chef prepares a menu that will surprise and delight.

Trip Includes

4 nights hotel, double occupancy
breakfast daily in the hotels
expert private guides
private premium tours and tastings at wineries
private driver-guide for wine tour days
2 lunches with wine
restaurant reservations and recommendations
full trip planning
in-country trip assistance and on-the-ground support
Epicurean Ways expertise

Not Included

flights to/from Spain and flights within Spain
tips to guides and drivers (optional but appreciated)
travel insurance (recommended)
extra charges in hotels (minibar, room service, etc)

A note on winery visits, restaurant selections and hotels

All tours, experiences and hotels are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon booking the trip.

You will be accompanied by a driver-guide during your wine touring. Your visits and tastings will be private and with the winemaker, a family member or an expert who knows the winery and the wines well. We work with the wineries to make sure that you taste the best and most representative wines during each visit. It is sometimes possible to arrange extended tastings that include old vintages or rare wines. We have an extensive group of wineries whose owners we know and with whom we work regularly, so we can guarantee high-level visits even if a winery has to be substituted. If you have an interest in visiting a particular producer please let us know.

We include restaurant concierge service as part of your trip. Note that our restaurant suggestions are just that–suggestions. Places we love, places to go back to time after time. We recommend these places after years of experience eating in Spain and Portugal together with frequent research and input from our local partners. We aspire to guide your choices with information on the styles of cuisine and restaurants; the choice on where to eat is yours based on your preferences and desires.

We have included hotel options ranging from 5-star luxury properties to small boutique hotels. Let us know your preferences and we will tailor the hotel choices for you.

Trip Prices

Note that we can customize this trip for you. Add days in your arrival or departure city or in other locations or make changes to the experiences, winery visits, restaurants, or hotels included in the trip. Whatever it is, we’re here to work with you. Once you’re happy with the trip plan and have some idea of your dates we will calculate and send you the price.