Jerez Feria: Horses, Flamenco, Great Food and Sherry

Taking in a dose of current culture while traveling is a recipe for a great vacation. Travel is often all about history a very important part of travel. But the real epic vacations are the ones where you stumble on something that is unique to the area, and current. Steeped in history but still practiced rituals and events are really the heart of a travel experience. Il Palio, a centuries old festival around a horse race in Siena has been on my bucket list for years thanks to several travel television shows on the subject. Maybe someday. Especially since our travel has recently taken a horse related theme. Queue the banner for the horse feria in Jerez. Horses, flamenco, great food and sherry.  Another bucket list event, a little less publicized than Il Palio, which makes this even a true cultural experience. 9 out of 10 of the people are participants and not tourists at the Jerez Feria

Yes, we Americans are a bit out of place, but still felt welcomed. A key when immersing yourself in someone else’s culture is to know how far to go. Do we wear flamenco garb, or just something similar? Do we try to participate in rituals or just observe? Really important questions for the traveler to find answers.  I went with a nod to the flamenco: long dress in vibrant colors, not hawaiian (difficult to find in my touristy beach town), lace shawl, and I bought a fan (It was necessary). I felt dressed enough, but not like I was trying to play dress up in another’s culture. 

Ferias (festivals) are a very important cultural experience in Andalucia and Portugal. They are usually annual, a gathering of horse people. Traditionally a gathering for horse trading. There are horse games and competitions. Horses and horse gear for sale. And flamenco. There are rows and rows of casetas where flamenco is played and danced and drinks are flowing. There are like little temporary bars with drinks, food, seating and a dance floor, often private and invitation only. In Spain, the dancing goes into the wee hours, I mean, no one eats dinner until at least 11. There is a fun zone, with rides and games, exactly like the fun zone of a county fair. Actually a feria is exactly the same concept as America’s county fairs, except one dresses to impress.

In Seville the feria is in April, near Semana Santa (holy week). Ronda has one with a big carriage event, and even tiny towns like our favorite village Jimena have ferias. But despite the size of the town, Jerez Feria, in May, is the granddaddy of the Andalucia Ferias. Going to this one first is like going to the Kentucky Derby as your first horse race. 

It’s all about the Horse

That Jerez is a big feria is not a surprise if you know Jerez (pronounced “Hair-eth”) is traditionally the center of horse breeding in much of europe. You have heard of the Spanish Riding School in Austria and its famous Lipizzaner stallions. High on most tourists lists when visiting Vienna.  It is common to give the Hapsburgs credit for the breeding and training of those horses. But why is it called the Spanish school? Because It is a Spanish school. Those horses are descendants from the Jerez stallions. When Napoleon was conquering Europe, the Jerez stallions and handlers were smuggled to Austria for safe keeping and the Spanish school in Vienna was born. The Lippazaner has its roots in the Spanish Pura Rasa Espanola breed and the Portuguese Lusitano. All bred and traded centering on Jerez for centuries. 

Jerez, like Vienna, still has a school for horsemen centered on these, usually white horses that dance and prance to music. Here is an interesting fact about these white horses. They are actually gray. And born other colors. They have a gene for premature graying and lose their natural color by about 5-6 yrs old. During those years the horses are beautiful blends of their birth color and gray. In the USA we call it dappling, but some are also roan looking for awhile. Most of the horses you see in Spain and Portugal, show horses and ranch horses are  descendants of these breeds, and yes, predominantly grays. 

So back to the Jerez Feria. Like a county fair it has its roots in agriculture trade, but has morphed into a gathering and celebration for people and families of all ages. It is a carnival atmosphere with rides and noise and carnival food and vendors. There are rows of casetas (bars), some private family affairs, others run as bars for profit, all in a horse fair environment, on makeshift wide avenues in dirt. People are dressed to the nines, walking around, along with horses.  Picture watching where you put your feet, while at the same time making sure you do not step in front of a carriage led by four matched horses, or dozens of men on their stallions. Dressed up and strolling after dinner is a normal weekend evening in Spain. At the feria, it is taken up a notch. You can tell from their faces how much the older women live for this event. It was fun watching the older ladies teach the younger girls how to flamenco dance. 

We took in some of the competitions taking place in the show arena. Doma vaquera is a discipline sort of like a combination of dressage and cutting horse maneuvers. It is clearly based on horses trained and used for herding cattle. But it is pretty to watch and each competitor has his own music to choreograph the movements. It is not a set course like a dressage test or cutting competition, rather like ice skating, the horse has to do certain elements, but the rider has some discretion on the choreography, this makes it more interesting to watch. Another fun competition to watch was carriage driving. Old fashioned carriages driven by several horses weaving in and around each other; we witnessed a near miss! Occupants and horses, all dressed up for the show. 

Interspersed between the thongs of people walking in dirt or mud in their long, expensive flamenco outfits, are dozens of horses. They appear random, just more people dressed for the party walking around, but no. The horses and horseman invited to walk this fair are highly selected. One of our friends has a horse that was invited. The horse, mind you, meets the breeding standards, and knows the right people. Peta was lucky enough to come along for the ride, quite literally. Being invited, Caramba and Peta walked a long trek to the venue through the town, then were allowed to pass onto the fairgrounds having been properly attired, both horse and rider. She was one of few horsewomen in attendance, and don’t tell anyone, but probably the only non-spaniard. Part of the appropriate kit was a little scabbard perfect for storing a shot glass for her rebujitos.

The official drink of the feria is the Rebujito. This is a blend of carbonated lemonade (think sprite) and sherry. Another option is Tinto Verano. I love this drink and have written about it before; red wine and lemonade. Sounds gross, but it is wonderfully refreshing and a festive ruby red color. Jerez in May is already hot. These are two good drinks for this weather, that and the light bodied beers of the region.

Jerez means Sherry

I have horses on my brain, I forgot to mention the real thing Jerez is famous for. It is sherry. Like horses, Jerez is the center of the world for Sherry making. All sherry is grown in and around Jerez. What is the word for sherry in Spanish? Jerez. Kind of sums up the importance of sherry to this town. So when in Rome, (Jerez), one must drink sherry. Sherry is a fortified wine (aka more alcohol), and comes in several types for every wine need: one for before dinner, with fish, with meat and after dinner. Take it slow, that is my advice. 

Jerez has a vibrant food scene given the size of this little town. Jerez is about one tenth the size of San Diego, or Auckland. But sports three michelin rated restaurants. We were lucky enough to visit two in our three night stay. One offered a tasting menu of 14 courses, each with a paired sherry. I am sure that would have been really interesting, but because we wanted to get up and walk around the next day, we passed. Still enjoyed an excellent meal with the appropriately matched sherry. And like all alcohol, it grows on you quickly. 

We, even the non-horse-brained one of this couple, had a fantastic time taking in the festivities, food, sherry and mostly people watching at the Jerez Feria. So much so, we may make it an annual pilgrimage (Jerez is only an hour from Portugal). Attending one of the other ferias, Ronda or even a small town one would also be fun, Portugal too has its version of these fairs. Like a Semana Santa procession, the Iberian peninsula has a rich festival offering. Attending any while visiting the region would give any tourist a deeper understanding of the people and a more memorable traveling experience. Next time, I am going for the sherry pairing meal at La Carboña.