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Few things can beat sherry as a pre-meal aperitif. Ever since Sir Francis Drake raided the port of Cádiz in 1587 and made off with 3,000 barrels of sherry, the Brits have been captivated, and continue to be the main international clients. Sherry can only be made in one place, the area lying between Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cádiz. The secret is the combination of soil, the damp climate, which encourages the growth of the flor (a coat of yeast that forms on the ageing wine and prevents it from oxidising) and the system used to blend the different vintages.
Manzanilla, a dry sherry, is made exclusively in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Some people claim they can detect a hint of sea aroma in this wine, because of the proximity of the ocean (though this is more true of the variety known as Manzanilla Pasada, which locals favour but which is rarely available elsewhere). In fact, the higher  humidity in Sanlúcar, which is next door to the marshes of the Coto Doñana Nature Park, allows the flor to flourish year round.
In other areas of Jerez, the yeast often dies down with the arrival of hot dry weather. Thus Manzanilla is even drier and paler than other sherries. In all there are more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of vineyards in the Jerez region, where the predominant grape is the Palomino, named after a 13th century Spanish knight.
Like port, sherry is a “fortified” wine, meaning that extra alcohol is added to bring its alcohol content up to around 16 per cent. After the grapes are harvested in early September, they are crushed to make a still white wine. This ages for about two years before being put through the criadera and solera system in which the sherries of different years are blended to ensure that the finished product is of consistent quality.
There are various types of sherry. Fino, pale and clear and perfectly dry, with an earthy aroma of almonds, is served chilled as an aperitif wine, and is best drunk shortly after bottling, so buy from a reliable source. The top selling brands are Tio Pepe (Gonzalez Byass) and La Ina (Domecq). Manzanilla is a Fino sherry made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It is even drier and paler than other finos, and within Spain it outsells other dry sherries. The best-known brands are La Guita (from Hijos de Rainer Perez Marin) and La Gitana (Vinícola Hidalgo) . Manzanilla Pasada, favoured by locals in Sanlúcar, is slightly darker, saltier and less refined.
Oloroso is a rich amber, with an aroma of hazelnuts, and it makes an exceptional aperitif, especially with Serrano ham. It is also one of the few wines which can comfortably accompany eggs, artichokes and asparagus. The best olorosos include the legendary Matusalém (González Byass) . Palo Cortado is a wine that you can’t make - it just happens. It starts out as a fino, but the flor yeast fails to develop. A rare treat, it has an aroma reminiscent of an amontillado, while its colour is closer to oloroso. One of the best is the 60-year-old Sibarita (Domecq).
Tours of Jerez wineries are usually available on weekday mornings (except during August), although some cellars also open for weekend visits. Most wineries charge a token fee of around three euros. Each bodega has its individual history and characteristics. Most cellars welcome visitors, and constitute the main tourist attraction in the town of Jerez. The Gonzalez Byass  winery alone has some 100,000 visitors a year. A typical visit will encompass a short film or audio-visual show. Next, a guide leads you through the rows upon rows of casks – many of them signed by illustrious past visitors – explaining the criadera and solera system used to blend different vintages, and the difference between the dry finos, amontillados and olorosos. The tour ends in the sacristía – the “sacristy” – with a tasting of the various wines, expertly drawn from the barrel by the venenciador, using a cup attached to a slender rod.
Visiting a wine cellar in Jerez is the ultimate interactive learning experience. Visit three, and you’re an expert. Visit six, and you will realise that there is much more to learn about sherry. The Gonzalez Byass and Domecq complexes resemble cities in miniature. Their citizens are the tens of thousands of old oak sherry butts that repose in the vast cellars, each containing 500 litres. Everything is designed to keep that vital flor yeast happy. High vaulted ceilings keep summer temperatures down, the windows are oriented to the westerly winds to ensure good ventilation, and the cellars are hosed down regularly. Even the lush gardens which surround the wineries owe more to a need to maintain the proper microclimate than to a bent for botany.
At González Byass, you can view such hallowed cellars as Los Apósteles and La Constancia. You might even catch a glimpse of the famous sherry-sipping mice which have returned after a few years’ absence following some repair work in the cellar (a glass and a miniature ladder are set out for their indulgence). You will learn how a cask from the private supply of dry sherry kept by José de la Peña, the winery founder’s uncle, was shipped to England, giving birth to a legend: Tío Pepe, the best-selling aperitif wine in the world.
Next door at Domecq is the oldest winery in Jerez – 269 years old. They’ll tell you the story of an undelivered shipment of wine spirits originally destined for Holland that was left to mellow in old sherry casks and which metamorphosed into the first Jerez brandy in 1874: Fundador. You’ll also see the touching memorial to the late José Ignacio Domecq (known to all as “The Nose”), who was armed with a formidable proboscis and an uncanny knack for using it. | 
