Culture
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Wine[edit]
Sherry wine
Jerez is the world capital of sherry, a fortified wine made from white grapes grown near the city of Jerez. Jerez has been a centre of viniculture since the Phoenicians introduced winemaking to Spain in 1100 BC.[citation needed] The Romans continued the practice after they took control of Iberia around 200 BC. The Moors conquered the region in AD 711 and introduced distillation, which led to the development of brandy and fortified wine. Because sherry was a major wine export to the United Kingdom, British families founded many of the Jerez cellars. The city has many bodegas (wineries), many of which are of British origin. The most important include:
González Byass: Manuel María González Angel founded this bodega in 1835, and his English agent, Robert Blake Byass subsequently joined in. The firm produces the fino sherry Tío Pepe.
Williams & Humbert: This is a winery located in Jerez de la Frontera dedicated to the production of sherry wines and brandies and other liqueurs. Sir Alexander Williams and Arthur Humbert founded it in 1877.
Grupo Garvey: founded in 1780 by William Garvey Power.
Grupo Estévez: owns the Marqués del Real Tesoro and Valdespin bodegas. With origins dating from 1430, Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in the area.[citation needed]
Domecq: is a winemaking company founded by Álvaro Domecq Díez's father.
Brandy de Jerez is a brandy exclusively produced within the "Sherry Triangle" (which is bounded by Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, all in the province of Cádiz). Brandy de Jerez is used in Spanish cuisine, especially with meats.[citation needed]
Carthusian breed of horses[edit]
See also: Carthusian horse
Carthusian horses
Jerez is the original home of the Carthusian sub-strain of the Andalusian horse breed, known as the Caballo cartujano in Spain. In the latter 1400s, the Carthusian monks began breeding horses on lands donated by Álvaro Obertos de Valeto for construction of the Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera (la Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera). When the Spanish Crown decreed that Spanish horse breeders should breed their Andalusian stock with Neapolitan and central European stock, the monks refused to comply, and continued to select their best specimens to develop their own jealously guarded bloodline for almost four hundred years.
Jerez is the home of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, a riding school comparable to the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
Another famous equine institution headquartered in Jerez is the Yeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera (known outside Spain as the Yeguada Militar), the Spanish military stud farm dedicated to the breeding of purebred Andalusian and Arabian horses. Founded in 1847, it became the official stud farm of the Spanish military in 1893.
The 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games were held in Jerez at the Estadio Municipal de Chapín, which was remodeled for the event, from September 10 to September 22, 2002. This was the 4th edition of the games, which are held every four years and run by the FEI.
Flamenco[edit]
Monument to Lola Flores in Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez is proud of its Andalusian Centre of Flamenco, which was founded in 1993 to safeguard and promote the values and standards of flamenco. It is devoted to the investigation, recovery, and collection of flamenco-related historical documents, whether they are in audio, visual, or journalistic form. It also has a collection of flamenco artifacts, including musical instruments, costumes, promotional posters, sheet music, and postcards. The centre operates a museum and library to help educate the public and serve as a resource for scholars. Many of the most famous personalities of the city are or were involved in the performance of flamenco, including La Paquera de Jerez, Lola Flores and José Mercé.
Festivals[edit]
Grand Prix[edit]
Since 1987 the Grand Prix motorcycle racing has been held at the Circuito de Jerez in early May. Thousands of motorbikers from around the world come to the city this week to watch the MotoGP race held in Jerez annually. The race is one of the most watched races in Europe.
Feria del Caballo[edit]
Another popular festival is the Feria del Caballo (declared a festival of international tourist interest), one of the most famous Spanish fairs, and the most important fair in the province of Cádiz. It is celebrated annually in the Parque González Hontoria for one week in May, occurring always after the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix. The a fair dedicated mainly to the horse. All booths (casetas) at the fair are open to the public, so that attendees may walk into any one of them and enjoy the food, drinks, and dancing. This is one of the main features that differentiates the Feria de Jerez from the rest of the Andalusian Fairs, such as the Seville Fair, where most of the casetas are private and only card-holding members are allowed in.
Holy Week[edit]
Holy Week in Jerez, as in other cities in Andalusia, commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by Catholic religious brotherhoods and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. The Holy Week of Jerez de la Frontera stands out for being one of the most important in Andalusia in terms of number of brotherhoods, quality in its carvings and iconographic sets. Holy Week in Jerez was declared of National Tourist Interest in 1993.
Christmas[edit]
During the Christmas season, from the end of November to the end of December, many peñas (religious and cultural clubs) celebrate the holidays with public festivals where anyone can go to drink, eat, dance and sing Christmas carols, accompanied by friction drums called zambombas.
Other Festivals[edit]
Flamenco festival de Jerez
Carnival of Jerez
Fiestas de la Vendimia (Declared a festival of international tourist interest)
Other institutions[edit]
The old quarter of Jerez, dating from medieval times, has been named an "Artistic Historic Complex". The Easter week celebrations in Jerez are of "National Touristic Interest", and its remarkable Feria del Caballo in May is an event of "International Touristic Interest".
The Andalusian Flamenco Centre is located in the Pemartín Palace (Palacio de Pemartín) and offers a library, displays, video films and live demonstrations of the art of flamenco dancing.
