We did this tour as part of an organised trip with Thomson's so I don't know what the actual cost of this was, however it was brilliant. We had a wonderful guide who took us through the history of Sherry and of the city, the development of the Bodega, the fermentation process and finally the tasting! Ended up spending loads in the gift shop, but as this was one of the things that we came to the region for we needed a few souvenirs!

Firstly our tour guide was excellent - a very knowledgable and friendly young girl from Glasgow (Scotland). She persevered with idiotic questions from others on the tour and a few members of the large (20-25) group trying to get a private tour! Well done, sorry we didn't catch your name!

The tour itself is tiresome - a 20 minute movie to begin, most of which has English subtitles, in the searing summer heat of Jerez. The tour does however have an entertaining 'train' ride to cover the vast bodegas. The celebrity signed barrels are also interesting but nothing to do with the sherry inside.

The tasting (see pictures) is in a building which would be more at home as the home of a Bond villain - all of which are more interesting than the product.

If you have the chance try to find somewhere small rather than the commercial giant of Tio Pepe.

We decided to do this tour again having not visited Jerez for a while or done the tour for a few years.

The recipe seems much as before and as recorded by other reviewers. The tren turístico ride, the video, the mouse and the celebrity barrels and so on. The guide, very pleasant, was indeed none too knowledgeable: faIling to explain the difference between port and sherry, but she coped with the basics well enough.

The stroll took us through shady spots with some delightful smells. The tapas: frutos secas, manchego and a couple of tostas con lomo was fine. As to the tasting, the shots were on the small side but then we didn't want too much what with driving and the heat of the day.

The bodega shop prices were rather less than we have seen in Spanish stores but more than in the large supermarkets. However, these don't tend to stock the likes of Nectar so we bought a bottle for €8.40.

Overall, a good two hour tour so long as you aren't too much into the technicalities. Certainly better than the Sandeman visit we tried a while ago.