OK, I admit it, I'm a lush - first the Rioja posting and now Jerez.

Has anyone done tours of the sherry (jerez) bodegas in Jerez de la Frontera, San Lucar de Barrameda or any places near by? I'd be especially interested in hearing if anyone has visited the Emilio Lustau bodega, as opposed to the larger ones.

Also, has anyone visited San Lucar? Is it worth the side trip from Jerez?

I did a family stay in Sanlucar (one word) For a little over a weak. Those People are extremley Proud of there wines. My host mother sent me home with three bottles of the stuff. They had a lot of big wineries there. The city was beautiful. They have an awsome beach and there is a national Parque across the bay/Guadalquivir river. If I were to return to spain I would head strait south!

Manzanilla is my favorite 'apertivo' wine, and Sanlucar de Barrameda is where it comes from. If you can find it from the barrel & cold, it's great.
That's Donana national park across the bay from Sanlucar - I am told that at low tide people with 4X4's drive across and back.

I've seen them 4x4ing on that beach. When I was in Spain this spring there was a music video on channel sol where they were 4x4ing through the beach and it showed a lot of the native wild life. My host sister actualy got a little teary every time she saw it. She had a third floor (fourth for us Americans) apartment and we had a nice view of the park from across the bay. It was so great!

Sanlucar also has wonderful pescaíto frito(fried fish). What a shame that people must be idiots and feel that they must 4x4 through one of Europe's remaining bird sanctuaries. Doñana is beautiful, but it won't be for long if people treat it like that.
oh, and of course, the Jerez is wonderful too! -and the Manzanilla!

what fond memories i have of 4 wheeling in the donana. that was one of the high-lights of my time spent in cadiz.