In this process, the younger wines are blended slowly and methodically with other more mature ones. The older wines impart their flavour to the younger ones, while the latter ”freshen” the former due to their youth and strength.

The wine for bottling is only drawn from the lower tier of casks, called ”solera”, as they lie on the ground; always a small percentage of the total content of each cask, never exceeding one third. The amount of wine drawn from the solera - or ”saca” - is then refilled with wine from the casks on the tier directly above (first ”criadera” (ageing level)); these are then refilled with wine drawn down from the tier above, (second ”criadera”), and so on up to the top where the supernatant wine is first poured in.

This ritual is repeated year after year at the Tio Pepe ageing cellars. The wine slowly works its way down through the ageing flasks till it reaches the solera. All the firms oenological knowledge is concentrated in the latter. The fruit of more than one hundred and fifty harvests and the efforts of several generations.

Only these casks will have the honour of giving the wines bottled with Tio Pepe labels.