Wine Jerez is the world capital of
sherry, a fortified wine made from white grapes grown near the city of Jerez. Jerez has been a centre of viniculture since the
Phoenicians introduced winemaking to Spain in 1100 BC. The
Romans continued the practice after they took control of
Iberia around 200 BC. The
Moors conquered the region in AD 711 and introduced
distillation, which led to the development of brandy and fortified wine. Because sherry was a major wine export to the United Kingdom, British families founded many of the Jerez cellars. The city has many
bodegas (
wineries), many of which are of British origin. The most important include: •
González Byass: Manuel María González Angel founded this bodega in 1835, and his English agent, Robert Blake Byass subsequently joined in. The firm produces the
fino sherry
Tío Pepe. • Williams & Humbert: This is a winery located in Jerez de la Frontera dedicated to the production of sherry wines and
brandies and other liqueurs. Sir Alexander Williams and Arthur Humbert founded it in 1877. • Grupo Garvey: founded in 1780 by William Garvey Power. • Grupo Estévez: owns the Marqués del Real Tesoro and
Valdespin bodegas. With origins dating from 1430, Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in the area. • Domecq: is a winemaking company founded by
Álvaro Domecq Díez's father.
Brandy de Jerez is a brandy exclusively produced within the "Sherry Triangle" (which is bounded by Jerez de la Frontera,
El Puerto de Santa María and
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, all in the province of Cádiz). Brandy de Jerez is used in Spanish cuisine, especially with meats.
Carthusian breed of horses Jerez is the original home of the Carthusian sub-strain of the
Andalusian horse breed, known as the
Caballo cartujano in Spain. In the latter 1400s, the Carthusian monks began breeding horses on lands donated by
Álvaro Obertos de Valeto for construction of the
Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera (
la Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera). When the Spanish Crown decreed that Spanish horse breeders should breed their Andalusian stock with Neapolitan and central European stock, the monks refused to comply, and continued to select their best specimens to develop their own jealously guarded bloodline for almost four hundred years. Jerez is the home of the
Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, a riding school comparable to the famous
Spanish Riding School of
Vienna. Another famous equine institution headquartered in Jerez is the
Yeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera (known outside Spain as the Yeguada Militar), the Spanish military stud farm dedicated to the breeding of purebred Andalusian and
Arabian horses. Founded in 1847, it became the official stud farm of the Spanish military in 1893. The
2002 FEI World Equestrian Games were held in Jerez at the
Estadio Municipal de Chapín, which was remodeled for the event, from September 10 to September 22, 2002. This was the 4th edition of the games, which are held every four years and run by the
FEI.
Flamenco in Jerez de la Frontera Jerez is proud of its
Andalusian Centre of Flamenco, which was founded in 1993 to safeguard and promote the values and standards of
flamenco. It is devoted to the investigation, recovery, and collection of flamenco-related historical documents, whether they are in audio, visual, or journalistic form. It also has a collection of flamenco artifacts, including musical instruments, costumes, promotional posters, sheet music, and postcards. The centre operates a museum and library to help educate the public and serve as a resource for scholars. Many of the most famous personalities of the city are or were involved in the performance of flamenco, including
La Paquera de Jerez,
Lola Flores and
José Mercé.
Festivals Grand Prix Since 1987 the
Grand Prix motorcycle racing has been held at the
Circuito de Jerez in early May. Thousands of motorbikers from around the world come to the city this week to watch the MotoGP race held in Jerez annually. The race is one of the most watched races in Europe.
Feria del Caballo Another popular festival is the
Feria del Caballo (declared a festival of
international tourist interest), one of the most famous Spanish fairs, and the most important fair in the
province of Cádiz. It is celebrated annually in the Parque González Hontoria for one week in May, occurring always after the
Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix. The a fair dedicated mainly to the horse. All booths (
casetas) at the fair are open to the public, so that attendees may walk into any one of them and enjoy the food, drinks, and dancing. This is one of the main features that differentiates the Feria de Jerez from the rest of the
Andalusian Fairs, such as the
Seville Fair, where most of the
casetas are private and only card-holding members are allowed in.
Holy Week Holy Week in Jerez, as in other cities in Andalusia, commemorates the
Passion of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by Catholic religious brotherhoods and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets during the last week of
Lent, the week immediately before
Easter. The Holy Week of Jerez de la Frontera stands out for being one of the most important in Andalusia in terms of number of brotherhoods, quality in its carvings and iconographic sets. Holy Week in Jerez was declared of
National Tourist Interest in 1993.
Christmas During the Christmas season, from the end of November to the end of December, many
peñas (religious and cultural clubs) celebrate the holidays with public festivals where anyone can go to drink, eat, dance and sing Christmas carols, accompanied by friction drums called
zambombas.
Other Festivals •
Flamenco festival de Jerez •
Carnival of Jerez •
Fiestas de la Vendimia (Declared a festival of international tourist interest)
Other institutions The old quarter of Jerez, dating from medieval times, has been named an "
Artistic Historic Complex". The Easter week celebrations in Jerez are of "
National Touristic Interest", and its remarkable
Feria del Caballo in May is an event of "
International Touristic Interest". The Andalusian Flamenco Centre is located in the
Pemartín Palace (
Palacio de Pemartín) and offers a library, displays, video films and live demonstrations of the art of flamenco dancing. ==Sport==