One other thing. A solera can also be used to manage quality. Any butt containing wine which is not up to scratch can be removed from the system increasing the average quality. Depending on the style the wine can sometimes take years to work through a solera, so constantly re-tasting butts and removing wines which don’t cut it can lead to a fantastic final product.

Justin,
Thanks. And good point about the PX’s made in Montilla.

Paul,
The primary purpose of the solera is to maintain both a house style and consistency of product. As a result, they obviously do lose some of the uniqueness of individual vintages. However, the advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages. When the young wine is blended with the older wine, it picks up the characteristics of the older wine. That combination enhances the complexity of the wine while maintaining quality and house style.

The solera system sounds fascinating! Is the purpose to maintain consistency? And if so, don’t wines made like this lose some of the uniqueness of an individual vintage?

What most people don’t realize is most of the Jerez PX’s are made in Montilla and then given a bit of time in barrel here…

Great post, and the first all-PX wine of this WBW event.

Looooove the PX….