Food and Wine Tours of Andalucia

Gastronomic tour of Andalucia from Granada - Cordoba - Seville - Jerez - Sanlúcar - Ronda - Malaga.

Andalucia in southern Spain is the largest of the country's provinces.  It is the vibrant home of the authentic Spain of flamenco, bullfighting, taverns, wine and tapas.  

The focus of our tour is the food and wine of Andalucia, however, you will have plenty time to enjoy the cultural attractions of the region. 

Our suggested itinerary includes the beautiful city of Granada with the Alhambra palace nestling beneath the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the charming city of Cordoba with its beautiful flower covered patios and magnificent Mezquita and the magical Andaluz capital of Seville.

Our tour also takes us through the quaint, unspoilt countryside of the real Spain. Please remember that this is merely a suggested itinerary and we can arrange any alternatives you may care to suggest.

Day 1: On arrival in Malaga airport you will be transferred to the city of Granada where you will be free to wander around the town until dinner time.    

This is one of Granada's best restaurants which specialises in local Granadino dishes such as aubergine stuffed with wild mushrooms and monkfish.

Day 2: This morning after breakfast you can visit the magnificent Alhambra Palace, the jewel of Moorish Spain.  Afternoon free.

Andalucia is the home of tapas and Granada has a reputation for producing some of the finest tapas and offering them free with a drink.  Tonight we will provide you with a recommended tapas tour and vocabulary list and send you off to find some of the best tapas bars we have discovered in Granada.

Day 3: This morning (hangover permitting!) we'll head into one of the city's squares to buy churros by weight and eat them in a café with a cup of delicious, thick hot chocolate.  Then we're back on the road and off to Cordoba.  Relaxing afternoon to wander the many small lanes of the Jewish quarter and have a snack in one of our recommended tapas bars.

Typical Cordobes cuisine with its Moorish influence is the speciality of this fine restaurant located next to the Mezquita.  Favourites include cordero a la miel (lamb cooked in honey) and rabo de toro (bull's tail).  Nowhere in Spain have I tasted a finer red house wine than in this restaurant.

Day 4: After breakfast under the orange trees of Plaza del Potro you can visit Cordoba’s Mezquita, the grandest mosque ever constructed by the Moors in Spain.  Afternoon free.   

At first sight the tapas scene of Cordoba seems quite tame with the poor touristy spots around the Mezquita.  But thanks to the advice of a few locals we've discovered some excellent places including Casa Salinas which is my favourite tapas bar/restaurant in Spain and the focus of tonight's activities.  Here you can try my favourites:  salmorejo (Cordoba's thick gazpacho with ham and egg), deep fried hake and chickpeas with spinach.  Another local delicacy is the white (sherry like) wine called Montilla which the locals claim gives less hangovers than the wines of Jerez because it is natural and not fortified with alcohol.  After dinner you might like to see a flamenco performance.

Day 5: After breakfast we drive to the Parador of Carmona for a coffee break and a look at the fabulous views from this spectacular location.  Then we continue on to Seville where we check in to a hotel right in the heart of the city's tapas district of Santa Cruz.  Afternoon free to explore this marvellous city.  

Across the river in the Barrio Triana there is a great selection of excellent restauants.  La Sopa Boba is a modern place with a creative approach which offers such delicacies as cod with apples and goat cheese and mushrooms au gratin with garlic and honey.

Day 6: After breakfast you can enjoy a day of sightseeing including the Gothic Cathedral, Moorish Giralda, Plaza de España and after lunch maybe take a horse drawn carriage around the city.

Seville has Spain's best tapas bars many of which are in the Santa Cruz quarter near your hotel.  This evening we will help you find your bearings then armed with our list of recommended tapas bars and vocabulary list we'll send you off to find some of the best tapas bars we have discovered in Seville.

Day 7:  This morning we head south to Jerez de la Frontera, the sherry capital of the world.  Once we've checked into our hotel we'll go to the Gonzalez Byass sherry factory (makers of Tio Pepe) for a tour which provides a fascinating insight into the process of sherry and brandy production.  Afternoon free.

Considering we have not been very far from the sea on our tour you will have noticed that fish has not yet been a predominant part of our gourmet experience.  Tonight we make up for that as we watch the sunset over Doñana national park.  In the old fishing district of Sanlúcar there is a wide selection of excellent bars and restaurants serving the best seafood in Andalucia.  This food should be washed down with manzanilla, the local dry sherry which acquires its distinctive flavour from the salty winds which blow from Doñana. 

Day 8: Today we take the scenic journey from Jerez through the ‘Pueblos Blancos’ via Arcos de la Frontera and Grazalema to the stunningly located town of Ronda where we will spend the last night of our tour.  Spend the afternoon sightseeing in Ronda which is home to Spain's oldest bullring.

We end our tour in the style we started by dining at the most stylish restaurant in town where local chef Sergio López has created an adventurous menu based on the use of local produce. His specialities include such delicacies as oxtail ravioli and sliced apple with foie-gras and goat's cheese of Ronda.

Day 9: Transfer to Malaga airport for your return flight home

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