Ask a Wine Pro: What Is Solera Aging?

With roots dating back to the 1700s in southern Spain, solera aging is a winemaking technique best known for its role in producing the complex, nutty sherry wines of Andalusía. But now, more producers across beverage categories are embracing the style. In 2025, adventurous drinkers might even come across the term “solera aged” on anything from a bottle of Champagne, to rum, or even sake.

Any sommelier or beverage pro selling a solera-aged product will undoubtedly tout the liquid’s depth and complexity. But what exactly does the process entail? And what flavors can drinkers expect from the style? VinePair asked Nick Africano, the managing partner of Mirador, an Andalucían-inspired tapas bar in Kingston, N.Y., with a deep selection of sherry, to help explain the complicated process. Africano’s experience with sherry doesn’t stop at his restaurant, though; he’s also the founder of En Rama Sherry Co., which encapsulates Buelan Compañía de Sacas — a sherry bottling project — as well as the Enramistas sherry club and the Feria En Rama sherry wine fair.

At its core, the solera method consists of aging a liquid in a collection of vessels (typically barrels) that blend expressions of many different ages. These barrel systems can be arranged in a vertical stack or a pyramid with different tiers. Each year, a fraction of the wine is taken and bottled from the bottom barrels (known as the solera) then a portion of wine from the second level is used to refill those barrels. An equivalent fraction of wine from the higher level barrels is used to top up those. This repeats until the producer reaches the uppermost level of barrels, which are replenished with the newest harvest.

Several different vintages come together across the barrel system and the resulting liquid that’s bottled each year can represent decades or even centuries of production. “These products, therefore, carry an average age versus the age of the particular year the product began aging,” says Africano. “In this way there can be a ‘house style’ year after year for a particular cuvée that is less dependent upon each vintage by itself.”

So how does this lengthy aging process impact the flavor profile of the final product? “There is a natural oxidative note as a result of aging in soleras and an inevitable exposure to a bit of air inside the barrels,” Africano says. These oxidative qualities are often associated with aromas and flavors of roasted hazelnuts, salted almonds, rich caramel, toffee, vanilla, and dried fruits. Africano appreciates wines made in this system because he believes it introduces a compelling depth and layers of complexity to the wine.

Outside of sherry, this process is widely popular in Champagne and each year more distillers embrace the process to introduce those complex nutty notes into their spirits. Though the oxidative flavors tend to somewhat of an acquired taste, the increased popularity of solera aging hints that drinkers are open to exploring the category.

What’s arguably more important than the flavor profile itself is the centuries-old tradition of producers using a perpetual blend versus focusing on a new, distinct product each vintage. “I’m fascinated by the idea of selflessness and stewardship both literally and figuratively in relation to soleras,” Africano shares. “There is a sense of tradition, memory, and connectedness to what came before that I find beautiful. We could all learn a bit from the importance of something that is bigger than one’s self.”

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