Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA is the home and heartland of sherry (itself an English corruption of the town's Moorish name – Xerez) and also, less known but equally important, of Spanish brandy. An elegant and prosperous inland town, it's a tempting place to stop, arrayed as it is round the scores of wine bodegas, with plenty of sights to visit in between.

Life is lived at a fairly sedate pace for most of the year here, although things liven up considerably when Jerez launches into one or other of its two big festivals – the May Horse Fair (perhaps the most snooty of the Andalucian ferias), or the celebration of the vintage towards the end of September.

Tours of the sherry and brandy processes can be interesting – almost as much as the sampling that follows – and, provided you don't arrive in August when much of the industry closes down, there are a great many firms and bodegas to choose from. The visits are conducted either in English or a combination of English and Spanish and last for about an hour. Jerez's "big two" are González Byass, c/Manuel González s/n (daily except Sun afternoon 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm; € 10 with wine tasting; 902 440 077, www.bodegastiopepe.com), makers of the famous Tio Pepe brand, and the neighbouring Pedro Domecq, c/San Ildefonso 3 (reservation required; Mon– Fri 4 visits on the hour 10am–1pm, Tues & Thurs extra visit at 2pm, Sat noon & 2pm; € 8; 956 151 500, wwww.bodegasfundadorpedrodomecq.com), producers of La Ina.

Jerez is also famous throughout Spain for a long and distinguished flamenco tradition, and if you're interested in finding out more about Andalucía's great folk art, then a visit to the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco, Plaza de San Juan (Mon– Fri 9am–2pm; free; www.caf.cica.es), in the atmospheric gitano quarter, the Barrio de Santiago, is a must.