1- Base wine
2- Ageing
3- Soleras
4- Bottling
5- Market
c) Escalas, criaderas and soleras
Inside their respective barrels, the different types of generoso wines pass through a process known as escalas, criaderas and soleras, the aim of which is to obtain homogeneous wines within each group.
The barrels of each type of generoso are grouped one on top of another, usually forming a stack three levels high. The barrels closest to the floor are the soleras, while the criaderas are found on top of them. The escala consists of various groups of criaderas and soleras in which the wine passes from one barrel to another, with the young wine always moving downwards and mixing with older wine, in a process called corrimiento de escalas. The barrels are all full at the end of the procedure.
The wine withdrawn from the system for sale is taken from the soleras, accounting for approximately one third of the content of the barrel. This space is then filled by a sixth of the content of the first criadera barrel through a process called rociado. Next, the same procedure is repeated in the higher criaderas. Finally, the last criadera is left empty and is filled with new fortified base wines.
Before sale, the wine is taken from the soleras and subjected to a cabeceo or blending process that homogenises its qualities. Next, it is stabilised through a clarification and filtering process. Finally, it is bottled.
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