Vino y la Sal Visitor Centre

The Vino y Sal Visitor Centre, located in Chiclana de la Frontera, Cadiz, is the only visitor centre in Spain to hold the prestigious "Q" for Tourism Quality certification (2022). It occupies an old wine cellar owned by the Chiclana City Council and which belonged to the Bodegas Primitivo Collantes. The building, constructed between 1962 and 1964 on marshy land – like the entire Las Albinas neighbourhood where it is located – refers to a type of construction typical of wineries in the Jerez area that provided a constant temperature and humidity. Inside, the centre features three main areas, complemented by the Marín Doll Collection.
The first area, called "El Mar", is a large central multipurpose room. The second, "Sal", is divided into three rooms that show the history of the salt mines in Chiclana from the Phoenician and Roman colonisation until the late 19th and early 20th century, when they reached their peak. These rooms showcase how the artisanal salt flats, now part of the Bay of Cadiz Natural Park, produce and market an extraordinary virgin sea salt. In addition, works of art, panels, photographs and tools are on display, along with various audiovisual resources.
The third section, "Vino", recounts the wine-making culture of Chiclana, also of Phoenician origin, although it did not become a thriving economy until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it began trading with the Americas. This space uses panels, photographs, tools and audiovisuals to narrate the cultivation of the vineyard, as well as the history of the wineries of Chiclana, which are still artisanal and family-run. In addition, it explains the cultivation and ageing of Fino – the wine that is still in production today – Moscatel and other fortified wines, such as Cream, produced by the wineries in Chiclana and part of the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Designation of Origin.
The Vino y Sal Interpretation Centre also houses a unique exhibition space in homage to José Marín Verdugo (1903-1984), who created the Marín Doll Factory in 1928. The company, which remained in operation until 2014, took its dolls and the name of Chiclana all around the globe. "Spanish dolls for the world", as Fernando Quiñones described them.