Back in the 19th century the story goes that the Earl of Derby’s doctor advised him to try a wine called manzanilla.
“If you drink this rather than those heavier sherries you are so keen on, it will be better for your gout,” suggested the well-meaning medic.
But his lordship only tried one glass. Then he sent the rest of the case back, spluttering: “I prefer the gout!”
Poor fellow, he didn’t know what he was missing. For manzanilla, a sherry wine matured in oak barrels where the sea-breezes can waft over them, is light, dry and aromatic, the perfect accompaniment to seafood.
It comes from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a port sitting at one corner of the region in southwest Spain renowned for its fine sherry. You can sample all the different varieties, sweet or dry, on visits to the local “bodegas” (wineries).
The town lies on the Costa de la Luz (coast of light), but you could equally dub this area the “Gourmet Coast”, for you will never eat or drink better than here.
This is where “tapas” – that Spanish snack which has become an international institution – take on an extra dimension.
Along the Sanlúcar riverfront you find a string of bars and restaurants offering ultra-fresh seafood, from langostinos (king prawns) and pijotas (whiting) to acedías (small flounder) and tortillitas de camarones (crisp shrimp pancakes).
All helped down with a properly chilled manzanilla, often dubbed “el vino de la alegria” (the wine of joy).
From Sanlúcar, located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river, Christopher Columbus and Magellan sailed into the setting sun on epic voyages.
Countless other mariners set out into the unknown from here, seeking fortune in the New World. And later the westerly winds propelled home creaking, gale-lashed galleons, loaded with spices, silver and gold.
Decline and decay followed. But today Sanlúcar is thriving.
At Pentecost (Whitsun), the beach is filled with scores of colourfully decorated waggons, horses and four-wheel-drives being ferried across the river to take part in a centuries-old pilgrimage. Religious brotherhoods trek across the dunes and marshes of the Doñana National Park to pay homage to the Virgin of El Rocío.
So popular is the centuries-old pilgrimage that Columbus had to wait while his crew joined in. These days nature-lovers can visit the park to view the wildlife, which includes imperial eagles, lynxes, spoonbills, deer, boar and countless waterfowl.
In August visitors can enjoy their tapas and watch a unique event, horse-racing along the sands by the river.
One local winemaker told me: “The quality of life here is better than almost anywhere else. And at midnight in winter I can sit outside enjoying a drink when it is freezing in other parts of Europe.”