Jerez de la Frontera

Jerez History

Founded by the Phoenicians, Jerez had seen Roman, Visigoth and Moorish masters by the time King Alonso X reclaimed the city in 1294 during the Christian Reconquest.

That multicultural legacy still exists, most notably the Moorish influence echoed in the architecture and town planning right across the region. In Jerez, the Alcázar (fortress) and city walls provide solid evidence of a Moorish past. Elsewhere in the city, Gothic and Baroque ecclesiastical monuments hint at the city's increasing wealth during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

That wealth was largely down to sherry - the name adopted by the British, who couldn't get their 15th century tongues round the word 'Jerez'. Sack, or dry sherry, was much sought after in Britain, beginning an ever-increasing love affair with the product of Palomino grapes, local soil and climate conditions and a long, hot summer season.

The city is full of grand 17th and 18th century señorial houses, built by successful merchants and sherry makers, but the greatest period of success came from the early 19th century onwards, when world-renowned bodegas like Domecq and Gonzalez Byass geared up to meet increasing worldwide demand.

The Jerez of today still relies heavily on the sherry industry, but there is also a developing light industry sector, while service industries are leaping ahead - in part to meet the demands of the ever-increasing numbers of visitors.

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