BODEGAS REAL TESORO Y VALDESPINO The parent company, Bodegas José Estévez S.A., traces its origins back to 1809, when José Leña Rendón established a business in Jerez de la Frontera dedicated to ageing sherry wines and brandies. The Estévez family took full control of the company in 1974 and renamed it José Estévez S.A. in 1984. True to its family traditions, the company has continued to place great importance on carefully ageing its wines and maintaining their quality.

TABERNA LA SORPRESA On a short trip to Cádiz, we stopped at Taberna La Sorpresa for a few tapas and glasses of local sherry. It is an underrated hidden gem, especially when you have had enough fried fish and want fresh, carefully sourced seafood in a genuinely traditional setting. Founded in 1956 as a traditional wine shop, Taberna La Sorpresa is one of Cádiz’s surviving old-style tabernas. Pepe Terrero ran it from 1959 until his retirement in 2012, preserving its high bar, w

BODEGAS FUNDADOR (FORMERLY PEDRO DOMECQ) Founded in 1730 by the Irish merchant Patrick Murphy, this is one of Jerez’s oldest working bodegas. It later became closely associated with the Domecq family, especially Pedro Domecq Loustau, who created Fundador in 1874 — regarded as Spain’s first brandy. Formerly known as Bodegas Pedro Domecq, it is now Bodegas Fundador, part of the Emperador Group. Its historic complex includes the old Puerta de Rota cellars, gardens, the Riquelme

TABERNA MANOLO CATECA Tucked away in a corner alleyway, this hidden gem gives you the feel of being a local. Taberna Manolo Cateca dates back to 1920, when the Escobar family established a small despacho de vinos, a traditional wine shop. In 1952, it became Taberna La Goleta, a popular local bar specialising in wines from Huelva and the Jerez region. In August 2013, Manuel Rodríguez Navarro, better known as Manolo Cateca, took over Taberna Manolo Cateca Sevilla, giving the c

LA CEPA DE CÁDIZ MÁLAGA This excellent local bar serves beer, wine and Manzanilla sherry, along with traditional chicharrones, a selection of cheeses and specialities from the Sierra de Cádiz, cured meats from Extremadura and an impressive variety of tinned seafood and other preserves. Bringing a little taste of Cádiz to the heart of Málaga, this charming tapas bar feels like home for gaditanos (people from Cádiz) and a great place for visitors to discover the region’s tradit

Marbella isn’t the easiest place for a traditional tapas bar crawl, as many bars are spread out. However, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found during an evening stroll in mid-January as we looked for the best tapas bars in Marbella. Marbella’s layout is rather unusual, with its bars and restaurants spread across different areas rather than concentrated in one place. This means a tapas crawl can involve a fair amount of walking. There's plenty of variety, from traditi

RESTAURANTE ESCÁNEZ We returned to an old favourite, Restaurante Escánez Garrucha, overlooking the fishing harbour in Garrucha on the Almería coast. Francisco (Paco) Escánez Collado established the restaurant in 1982 as a modest, family-run business. In 2004, Paco expanded the restaurant by acquiring the adjoining premises, doubling its capacity and creating a spacious dining room overlooking the Mediterranean. Over the decades, Restaurante Escánez has built an excellent repu

VENTA EL TORO Venta El Toro, Santa Lucía near Vejer de la Frontera, is a small, discreet, countryside Venta without any pretensions. Originally little more than a place to stop for a drink, the family business gradually developed into a traditional Andalusian venta. It became a popular meeting place for locals and visiting bullfighters, after whom it was named. The restaurant's reputation grew further thanks to María Luisa (Maruja) Gallardo’s cooking, whose celebrated eggs an

CASA EGEA Among Mojácar Playa’s many restaurants, Casa Egea stands out for authentic Spanish cooking, fresh seafood, and traditional tapas. This long-established, family-run restaurant is situated just off the beachfront road. It also has an attractive glass-enclosed terrace Established in 1995, Casa Egea is a long-standing family-run restaurant in Mojácar Playa, with a three-generation culinary tradition. Over the years, it has built a loyal following among locals and visit

A DAY TRIP FROM SEVILLA TO CARMONA Carmona stands on the Los Alcores ridge, overlooking the vast, fertile plains of the Vega del Corbones in Andalucía. The surrounding countryside is dominated by olive groves and fields of cereals, which have long played an important role in the local economy. The city also has a tradition of livestock farming and holds its annual fair, the Feria de Carmona, in May. Carmona is one of the most historic towns in southern Spain, with a history s