On a recent trip to Jerez de la Frontera, named the Gastronomic Capital of Spain for 2026, I met Enrique Medina, owner of a company called Bilinguo. Enrique was one of our group’s guides and knew so much about everything essential in the city of Jerez, from the food, drink, history, traditions and cultural ways, I knew I had to have him on as a guest on the Real Food Traveler Podcast. Listen and learn from Enrique before planning your own trip to Jerez de la Frontera.

Save this podcast episode article to Pinterest so you can listen anytime to plan your visit to Jerez de la Frontera. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain: An Insider’s Guide

Enrique tells us about some of the authentic food and drink that helped Jerez de la Frontera win the honor. We’ll also chat about what it’s like to visit the city.

First, Enrique talks about the process Jerez (and competing cities) had to go through to qualify for the honor of Gastronomic Capital of Spain for 2026. He covers some of the ways the city is commemorating the honor, which varies from special events to special menus at some restaurants.

We talk about what the honor means for this historic city, its people, its sherry makers and restaurants. Then we get into some of the specific authentic food and drink items that any visitor to Jerez will encounter, repeatedly (and happily). All, if not most, of what Enrique mentions were born in Jerez, making them as local as you can get.

Me and Enrique on the day we parted ways after he’d been one of our wonderful guides in Jerez de la Frontera.

Hungry for more? Read what to eat, drink and do to experience the essence of Jerez de la Frontera in this Editor’s Pick article.

Sherry is one of the most quintessential things to come out of Jerez. In fact, the name of the city, “Jerez” literally translates to “sherry.” Enrique explains the different types of sherry that result from a very unique method of producing the wine which no other type of wine does.

Sherry is an essential part of any visit to Jerez de la Frontera like this tasting lunch we had at La Carbona, in honor of the city being named the Gastronomic Capital of Spain for 2026.

Enrique suggests what foods to eat sherry with and what times of day to drink it. As part of that, he discusses the dining culture of Spain which includes the later hours of each meal.

Flamenco dance is such a strong part of Jerez, supplies for dancers, including shoes, shawls, dresses and hair adornments can be found throughout downtown. Both dancers and tourists shop there.

As if the food and drink weren’t reason enough to enjoy Jerez de la Frontera, Enrique also gives us a primer on things to do there which includes two other iconic Jerez things – flamenco dance and Carthusian horses! He explains their history, appeal and where to go to experience them.

Carthusian horses go back hundreds of years in Jerez. There are several ways to learn more about them and see them. 

Enrique is a wealth of information about Jerez and I’m so glad he took the time to share his knowledge with our Real Food Traveler Podcast listeners and RealFoodTraveler.com readers.

To learn more about Enrique and his business, Bilingo – Golf, Spot and Cultural Holiday Experiences, visit his website, www.bilinguo.es and be sure to read his blogs while you’re there. You can follow Enrique on Instagram at bilinguo.es. To learn more about Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, visit this website.

TIP: Use our Real Food Traveler Affiliate Link to make your reservation using your favorite booking tool.

-By Courtney Drake-McDonough, host of the Real Food Traveler Podcast

The Real Food Traveler Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, YouTube and pretty much everywhere you like to stream your podcasts.