The elaboration process of the wines from Montilla-Moriles is complex and delicate; that is why the wines are more sensitive to changes in the weather in comparison with other wines varieties. In Montilla-Moriles, the grape harvest usually begins at the end of August; this allows the region to have one of the first harvests in the North Hemisphere.

After the raisins harvest and the grapes pressing, the must is placed in a deposit for its controlled fermentation, reaching natural alcohol content up to 15º.

There are two systems of aging developed in the D.O. Montilla-Moriles: on one hand, the Biological Aging, known as Aging under yeast layer (“Flor”); on the other hand, the oxidative aging for the Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez wines. Amontillado and Palo Cortado are aged first by biological aging and some years later, by oxidative aging.

The “Flor” is a small layer of natural yeast which appears at the top of the wine into the barrel and protects it from the environment (light and air). For the organism to be able to develop, the wine has to be necessarily at 15ºb0 in conditions of constant temperature and humidity. The yeasts interact with the wine so it develops special properties, which are exclusive to the biological aging. Thanks to this method, the Fino wines from our region offers a special personality rich of flavours and tastes. There is no similar aging method in the world. Its creation and development can be found only in Andalusia.

In this type of aging, the yeast slowly disappears or never appears because some environmental changes affect its development and/or additional alcohol is being added. In these circumstances, the wine presents different characteristics from those of the biological aging, as it develops through exclusive physicochemical operations.

This method of aging consists in using several rows of stacking barrels. The inferior file of barrels is known as Solera because it derives from the Spanish word “suelo” which means floor and contains a blend of the most aged wines.

The file right on top of the Solera is called the first Criadera, and then successively the Second, Third and Fourth Criadera. Four files of barrels are usually stacked.

In order to proceed to the wine extraction (“saca”), part if the content from the Solera is removed and is replaced with a combination of wines taken from the first Criadera. The empty space generated in these barrels is filled with the wine from the second Criadera and so on and so forth until the last criadera is refilled with new young wine.