Two weeks ago, a few friends and I traveled to Jerez, a city outside of Seville known because it is the birthplace of Sherry wine. We had a long weekend because of Dia de Andalusia (a federal holiday) and decided to get out of the city for the day. Jerez, whose name was once pronounced the same way as the wine it is famous for, was only a short train ride away. The train station is across the street from me so I was able to roll right out of bed in the morning and make it to the train on time. Unfortunately for my friends that lived on the other side of the river, in Los Remedios (a barrio, or neighborhood in Seville that translates to “The Remedies”), the walk was about a half an hour.
After the show, Leah and I decided we had enough time to tour a Bodega before meeting up with the rest of our group. Bodega is simply the Spanish term for a winery or wine cellar and there are tons in Jerez. The largest Bodegas run tours everyday to show how the world famous sherrys are made and stored. While we were in Jerez, it was on the top of our list to go on at least one tour.
The Equestrian School just happened to be right across from the Sandeman Bodega and when we walked in we were just in time for a tour! We learned a lot about the history of Sandeman sherry, a brand I had never heard of before. Interestingly, Sandeman was the first brand of sherry to actually mark the barrels with a specific brand. The idea caught on, and now almost all sherrys and, likewise wines, are labeled by their makers.
In the afternoon, we wanted to explore the Alcazar. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that a festival was going on for Dia de Andalusia and cheese and chorizo (a type of Spanish sausage) companies had come from all over the region to sell their products. Booths were set up inside the Alcazar and there were free samples everywhere! We quickly called the rest of our friends and let them know about our encounter so that they could meet up with us. There was more cheese and meat and olives and pastries than you could imagine.
"Acetunas" (olives) |
Yes, this pastry did taste as good as it looks! |
We all ate more than our fair share of everything; especially because each booth wanted to make sure we American girls tried every type of cheese and every type of meat since we will not be in Spain for long. It surprised me how many different kinds of cheese there are! We tried everything from soft goat cheese to cheese made with Rosemary! They were all delicious and by the end of the afternoon, we were full.
We left the Alcazar just in time to watch a beautiful sunset before we needed to catch our train. Overall, I spent an amazing day with amazing company that was well worth it.
Reading this makes me hungry, you know how I love olives! Hope you ate samples to save on dinner expenses! Can't wait to experience this with you!
ReplyDeleteWe will eat olives when you visit. At each restaurant they have a different taste and my favorites so far are at Bar Alfalfa. I will take you and Dad there when you visit!
DeleteThere are so many fun things going on over there! Seems like Spain is the country of parties!
ReplyDelete