Luke Andrews
TUCKED away from the main plaza and the wineries, La Guitarrón appears to be the most unsuspecting little place. Many tourists float by, registering its innate charm but not its culinary value. Yet it is here that you will find the best wine experience in Jerez.
I first took a trip to this little alcove owing to an impassioned recommendation from a friend.
“You will find no better wine experience than in La Guitarrón” he promised me.
He was far from wrong.
That weekend I wandered down Calle Bizcocheros with a friend to check the place out. It is located just off the main street leading up to Plaza Arenal, fully worked into the fabric of Jerez life.
Inside, the bar is set like the interior of a wine cellar. Empty barrels of Brandy and Sherry lie piled at one end, whilst the floor is covered by a patchwork tables. The menu is only available in Spanish, adding to the seductive charm of the place.
Gliding in, we ordered the ciudad-acclaimed wine experience.
It is composed of eight different wines, each alongside a small platter of delicately prepared cuisine. For a group of three the cost came to just 8 euros each. Tio Pepe should be ashamed.
A waitress poured us a small glass of each and satisfied our curiosity by providing intimate details about the wines.
‘…This wine gets its raw flavour from the sea breeze that kissing its grapes’, she chirped, swirling a sand coloured liquid around her glass.
You flow gradually through the wines, beginning with the driest gradually powering yourself up to the sweetest. Fino is the first wine on offer, accompanied by mussels.
The very second the first mussel touches your lips, you feel the knowledge of generations combined to give the most perfect chorus of flavours. The cooling taste of the mussel obliterates the wines sharp flavour immediately.
It’s unlike anything that I have ever tasted before.
Next you get a chance to sample some Amontillado, accompanied by the tender voice of artichoke.
Another six wines are sampled, with conversation and flavours steadily building to a crescendo.
You finish with a gentle caress from the sweetest wine in Jerez and a dabbling of chocolate cake with cream.
If you are a wine fanatic, you cannot afford to leave Jerez without first indulging yourself in this experience. Away from the tourist jargon and the public glare, La Guitarrón is truly one of the undiscovered jewels of Jerez.
