Southern Spain with Jen Jasinski & Max Mackissock

Bienvenidos a Málaga! This southern Spanish port is one of the world’s oldest cities, and over its 2,800-year history it’s been occupied by the Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs, each infusing Málaga with their distinctive architectural and culinary legacies.

We’ll meet up at our hotel with Jen and Max and set out on a late-morning gastronomic degustación through the cobbled streets of Málaga’s old quarter and down to the seafront. On the beach we’ll try vino dulce, the Malagan sweet wine that traditionally accompanies tapas here. All around us are views of the Moorish citadels of Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, the spectacular buff-colored stone ramparts overlooking the sea.

We’ll have time on our own this afternoon to explore further. Art lovers will want to take in the Pompidou or Museo Picasso, the latter an homage to Málaga’s most famous son. We’ll reconvene in the evening for cocktails and a welcome dinner featuring the freshest Mediterranean seafoods: Málaga’s iconic fritura malagueña.

This morning we trade beach for mountains, starting at a rustic goat farm near Casabermeja. We’ll learn first-hand about the goatherds’ daily routine and cheese-making techniques, tasting as we go. Lunch on the farm is served al fresco under the shade of a centuries-old oak tree.

After lunch, we’ll head to a nearby pueblo blanco (white village) and meet the family of winemakers at fourth-generation Bodegas Dimobe. Here, Syrah and Romé grapes grow on steep-sloped, shale-soil vineyards that produce superb red, white and fortified wines from their own protected Designation of Origin, Sierras de Málaga D.O. We’ll also see the paseros, or grape-drying racks, that are used locally to dry grapes before converting them to Málaga sweet wine or to pasas (raisins). Back in Málaga, the evening is ours to enjoy; take in a tangerine-and-gold sunset with a rooftop cocktail, and maybe tackle a late-night tapas crawl.

This morning we say farewell to Málaga and depart for Jerez de la Frontera, one of the three towns that form Spain’s celebrated ‘Sherry Triangle.’ Here, the limited rainfall and strong sun give local grapes—Palomino for dry, Pedro Ximénez and Muscat for sweet—their uniquely high sugar content, producing wines with elevated alcohol content and a rich golden hue. Sherry was once highly regarded (and William Shakespeare’s drink of choice); today it’s associated with the brandy-fortified cooking version and widely under-appreciated. We’ll taste true Sherries at a small, family-run bodega in the city center, using a traditional venencia to serve traditional Sherry straight from the barrels. It’s the perfect prelude to our home-cooked bodega lunch on the patio.

The afternoon is ours to rest and relax, before meeting up at one of Jerez de la Frontera’s oldest and most traditional tabancos, or Sherry pubs, where locals used to bring their own jugs to fill and sip while passing around the guitar. Our private dinner is an intimate celebration capped off by our very own flamenco show, the typically Andalusian spectacle of color, music and dance.

Our destination this morning is Sanlúcar de Barrameda, another historical standout in the Sherry Triangle, nestled at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river. Sanlúcar is the home of manzanilla, a dry, fortified white wine. We’ll get to know it well today at Bodegas Hidalgo la Gitana, where the cellars rest just a few hundred yards from the Atlantic Ocean, allowing the salty sea breeze to determine the wines’ character. We’ll taste as we go, then taste some more, over a light bodega lunch and pairing.

In the afternoon we’ll visit a vegetable farm that supplies some of Spain’s top restaurants. Our host, the farm owner, will introduce us to navazo, Sanlúcar’s unique and centuries-old crop-irrigation technique, while we gather produce to prepare tonight at a hands-on dinner with Jen and Max in Sanlúcar.

It’s a short drive to Seville, Andalucía’s bustling capital and our base for the next few days. But first, we’re headed north into the mountains of Sierra de Huelva, home of the world-renowned Iberian pig. We’ll wend our way through hilltop towns near the Portuguese border, where jamón ibérico de bellota—truly, the finest hams in the world—are cured in fresh mountain air for up to three years. It’s here we’ll meet a farmer for a personal tour of his pig farm: the acorn-strewn grounds where pigs graze, and the salting area too. We’ll taste every fresh cut of jamón, including the world-famous Cinco Jotas (5J) that comes only from purebred Ibérico pigs raised free-range. Our lunch in the nearby village of Jabugo features more ham plus regional cheeses and freshly harvested vegetables—all accompanied by local wines.

We’ll have time back in Seville this afternoon to explore on our own before reconvening for an epic tapeo, a tapas crawl led by Jen and Max through the city’s back alleys, choosing among succulent seafood and regional specialties such as solomillo al whisky (pork loin in a whisky sauce), savory toasts, and spinach with chickpeas. ¡Ponerse púo!—bring it on! 

Seville has been occupied by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors; a tour down its bustling streets is the best kind of immersive history lesson. Alongside Jen and Max, we’ll e-cycle through the city, taking advantage of the plentiful bike lanes to roam the historically working-class neighborhood of Triana. This district alone has produced more than its fair share of famous bullfighters and flamenco dancers, and traditional ceramics still adorn many of its buildings. We’ll conclude our e-bike ride in the old quarter of Santa Cruz, where centuries-old gardens and whitewashed houses open onto squares anchored by towering medieval cathedrals and bell towers.

Rest up this afternoon, and bring your appetite for an epic farewell dinner overlooking the river in Triana, prepared by Jen, Max and a local chef, and inspired by everything we’ve tasted this week. This will be a celebration to remember!

After breakfast, we’ll say farewell to Jen and Max and to our new friends, and transfer to Seville’s airport for flights home. Our time together has come to an end, but Andalucía will remain in our hearts.