Arrived in Cadiz this morning. We chose an excursion that was primarily a bus ride around the city and then to the nearby city of Jarez. Jarez is recognized as the home of sherry wine. There are over 60 bodegas there for the production of sherry and brandy. We visited Fundador which is the oldest one in the area, having been established in 1730. In the 1920's they began producing Harvey's Bristol Cream through some arrangement with a British company – it is now the sole producer of that product. It is my understanding that Fundador is now owned by a company in the Philippines.

My photo shows one of the solera areas .The process of making sherry involves removing one third of the finished wine from a bottom row barrel. That barrel is then filled from the next one above it and then that one is filled from the next one above that until the top row is reached. Then brand new wine is put into the barrel in the top row. Since the finished wine has been
blended many times over with wines from many different years, sherry never has a year shown on the label and is never considered to have a vintage year. Incidentally, those barrels have a capacity of 500 liters (132 gal) each.

We've left Cadiz, and had supper. Expect to pass through the straits of Gibralter around midnight – and don't expect to be awake to see it.