Bodegas Fundador — Attraction in Jerez

I had an absolutely fabulous time at the Bodegas Fundador Pedro Domecq, in fact it was the social highlight of my holiday at Jerez de la Frontera.

Alex, the lovely English speaking guide, was very thorough in her historical recount of events leading up to the modern day bodega. She also gave us a detailed description of the various chemical and biological processes that end up being the bottled product you purchase. After initiating us on the latter as we walked through the redolent bodegas, chronologically stacked with aging fermenting barrels, she took us on a tour past their magnificent private gardens, ending up in quite a large and well stocked museum. The tour ended with us given a sample of three different types of beverages they make there. I had a great time sipping from these, talking to others of the group I was with at the time and having a very good laugh with them. I'd initially started of with an English speaking group but Alex, who is a native Spanish speaker, cleverly made very good advantage of the fact that I'm bilingual and suggested I join the Spanish speaking group which was tailing behind us. I ended up having the proffered drinks at the end with them.

I'd recommend to anyone to go to these bodegas and buy a bottle at their shop as I did. The history and cultural aspects of the bodegas are really stimulating. I bought a lovely bottle of Harveys Bristol Cream, made there at the bodegas and which I'd just tried when they gave us the drinks before finishing our visit. They suggest to always have the Bristol Cream with a slice of...

We visited Jerez and booked a tour in the Fundador wine cellars on short notice.This was a great decision and very good time we had there. Our tour guide Carlos was wonderful, explained a lot about the history of the company, it's heritage, the different types & it's making (process) of Sherry and Brandy. Carlos impressed us not only with his knowledge, his friendly, very positive attitude, but most with the ability to answer really every question which was raised within our group, making the difference between a good and a great guide! By the way, the cellars and the modernized buildings with a very humble and tastefully, renovated impression are outstanding. Our tasting of 4 Sherrys was really interesting and impressive as well, so all in all a clear recommendation to go for a tour in this wonderful winery. Last but not least we had a very delightful lunch in the tapas bar of Fundador, which was absolutely worth every penny...

We took a tour and tasting here, and it is highly recommended. You can book online, but I sent an email and the response was very efficient, even though I only used English. The tour with Celia Moreno (it was an English language tour, Celia's English is excellent) was really good. She explained every aspect of sherry production and the differences which produce the distinct styles of the wine. The buildings and cellars are beautiful, and the smell is wonderful. The tasting afterwards is friendly and all the staff are happy to further explain what's in the glass. Top tip - if there's 2 of you, mix and match the tastings to get the full range of wines/brandies. The 30yr old tasting is fabulous. Thanks to all,...