Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana

Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana is one of the oldest family-run sherry houses in Andalusia, and it stands in the centre of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a port town at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river in the province of Cádiz, roughly an hour by road from Cádiz city itself. The firm dates from 1792, when its founder began trading in wine, and it has remained in the hands of the Hidalgo family for eight generations, a rarity in a business where many old names have been absorbed into large groups. Its address, on Calle Banda de la Playa, places it close to the old town and the beach, in the area where Sanlúcar's wine houses grew up.

Sanlúcar is the home of manzanilla, a pale, dry sherry with a salty, almond-like tang, and the Hidalgo family is best known for its manzanilla La Gitana, one of the most famous brands of this style. What makes manzanilla different from other sherries is the climate of the town. Sanlúcar sits by the sea, where the humid air and cool temperatures encourage a layer of yeast, called flor, to grow on the surface of the wine as it ages in barrels. The flor protects the wine from oxygen and gives it its delicate flavour. The bodega's cellars are built high-roofed and airy to take advantage of the sea winds, the poniente from the west and the levante from the east, which regulate temperature and humidity.

The company also produces other types of sherry and brandy, and it owns vineyards in two of the best-known districts of the sherry region, Balbaína and Miraflores, where the white, chalky soil called albariza gives the Palomino grapes their quality. The wines are aged in a system of stacked barrels, called a solera, in which younger wines are gradually blended with older ones, and the visit explains how this works.

Visits are organised as guided tours that take you through the cellars, show the barrels, and explain the history of the family and the process of making and ageing wine. They end with a tasting, often with the chance to try wines directly from the barrel, and there are evening tours and special events as well. A restaurant linked to the bodega serves dishes designed to go with its wines, and it is wise to book tours and meals in advance, as capacity is limited.

A trip to the bodega suits wine lovers, couples and food fans, and it combines naturally with a day in Sanlúcar, where fresh prawns and fried fish are served in the seafront bars. Because the town is some distance from Cádiz, plan your transport in advance. The sherry triangle also includes Jerez and El Puerto de Santa María.