Jerez boasts all the shopping facilities you would expect from a sizeable city. It is pleasant to walk around the city, much of which is pedestrianised. A shopping experience in Jerez is an opportunity to enjoy the city itself, stopping occasionally to people watch or enjoy a tapa. The main shopping streets are located between Plaza Romero Martinez and Plaza del Arenal.

Jerez de la Frontera dates from Phoenician times, but first rose to prominence under the Moors, who called it Xerix or Sherrich ‘De la Frontera’. These names refer to Jerez’s position on the frontier of Moorish Spain, and the Alcazar (fortress) is a reminder of the town’s strategic importance.

One of the less well-known bodegas, this was founded in 1877 by Alexander Williams and Arthur Humbert. It is now owned by Spanish company Medina. While not as attractive as the other bodegas, in terms of their plant-covered different buildings and patios, it can claim to offer the biggest single-building bodega in the world - a staggering 180,000m2, it stretches as far as the eye can see, and beyond.

You can visit at least 100 sherry bodegas (wineries) in Jerez itself, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria the three points of the so-called Sherry Triangle", to see how the different stages of the production process - pressing, aging, mixing. Many sherry bodegas have strong British connections (see Fact III).

The Jerez race circuit opened on 8 December 1985 with the Touring Car Spanish Championships, marking a truly momentous event. Today the course boasts many state-of-the-art facilities and hosts the Spanish Moto GP every year; usually last weekend in April or first in May.

Hotels in Jerez de la Frontera range from boutique establishments set in converted period houses with roof terraces in the old centre, to larger, more modern places located a short distance away, many with gardens and swimming pools. There are also a number of hostals and bed and breakfasts, offering great value for money in the centre of the town.

The white chalky soil of the Jerez area, 'albariza,' is ideal for the cultivation of Palamino grapes which produce the sherry for which Jerez is so well known. If you arrive at Jerez airport, as you leave your plane to walk to the terminal, you will be greeted by wooden sherry barrels piled up decoratively, along with grassy lawns and beautiful flowers, surely one of the most attractive of any Andalucian airports.

Well-known as the place where sherry that classic English tipple, is produced, Jerez is also equally famous both for its horses and its flamenco. Situated in the province of Cadiz, and larger than its capital city, it is only 20km from the coast, but has an aristocratic, anglophile atmosphere all of its own. A major event in Jerez's annual calendar is the colourful, lively Vendimia (Grape Harvest) Festival in September.

Sandeman is best know for its 'Don' logo. A dark, dramatic, Zorro-like figure, dressed like a typical caballero de Jerez in his cape and wide-brimmed hat, holding a glass of ruby-red port, he was originally designed by Scottish artist George Massiot Brown in the 1920s.

Although it is a large bodega - as well as being the oldest in Jerez, dating from 1730 - this is smaller than Tio Pepe, and consequently the tour feels more personal. Also located in the city centre, it features a 16th-century former convent whose cloisters and orange-tree-lined patio are now used for events. There is also a garden from 1823.

Part of any complete Andalucian experience is the tapas bar. There is a wide choice of tapas bars to choose from in Jerez and, naturally, the local fino (sherry) is the usual accompaniment to your traditional bite-size snack.

Harveys Bristol Cream is still the best-selling sherry in the world. The company dates from 1796, when it was founded by John Harvey in, you guessed it, Bristol. Throughout the 19th century Harvey imported sherry from Spain to UK, and distributed it around the world. Then, in the 1970s, the company decided to invest in its own bodegas in Jerez.

Their most famous sherry, Tio Pepe (you´ll recognise the logo, a bottle with a red hat and jacket, and a guitar), gives its name to these bodegas. The company dates from 1835, which makes it one of the newer of the great sherry dynasties in Jerez.

Located inland, 20 km from Sanlúcar, Jerez holds worldwide acclaim for its sherry and brandy production. The word Jerez is derived from Arabic and has now become synonymous with the English word ‘sherry’. The city is equally famous for its fine horses as well as Flamenco music and dance.

North of Cadiz is the so-called sherry triangle, its corners marked by three towns sprinkled with producers of sherry and brandy whose bodegas (wine cellars) can be visited. Jerez de la Frontera is renowned for its sherry, as well as having a longstanding equestrian tradition and a claim to being the home of flamenco.

Fortified wines were first exported to England from Jerez as long ago as the 14th century; some British Catholics fled here in the 16th century and started up as wine-traders. Later, in the 17th century, others opened their own bodegas (Garvey, Duff-Gordon, Wisdom & Warter).

Jerez de la Frontera is one of Andalucia’s most delightful small cities. Rich in culture and gastronomy, the Cadiz town is famous for sherry, horses and flamenco.

Unsurprisingly for somewhere with such impeccable upper-class credentials, the Jerezanos love horse-riding, and their annual Feria is second to none for equestrian attractions.

One of the curious things about Jerez, is that alongside the wealthy (though less so lately) equestrian sherry barons, there is a vibrant flamenco tradition - two very different aspects of Andalucian culture.