I spent two days bar hopping drinking sherries in Jerez and Cadiz. I was still confused and didn't quite understand sherries, so I drove back to Jerez and took a tour at Bodegas Tradicion. Maria, who was previously a teacher, was amazing explaining sherry and sherry production. All of a sudden everything made sense. I highly recommend watching a few basic YouTube videos and bar hopping one or two days drinking sherry before taking the tour. If you know nothing about sherries and the first thing that you do is to take a tour, you may not get the most out of it. The best is if you take the tour with some basic knowledge and a bunch of questions about things that you don't quite understand.

One other great aspect of the tour, especially if you are travelling solo, is that you get to taste high quality sherries that are usually not sold by the glass. I felt a big difference, especially in the driest sherry (fino). Maria recommended a restaurant, La Carbona, that has a sherry-paired menu. I believe that a food and sherry pairing experience can add to one's understanding of the wine. You might as well try it and take advantage of being in Jerez. Unfortunately, I was not able to go because I didn't have the time.