Wines fortifieds Designation of Origin D.O. Montilla - Moriles

The towns that constitute the Production Zone are Montilla, Moriles, Doña Mencía, Montalbán, Monturque, Nueva Carteya and Puente Genil, as well as part of the municipalities of Aguilar de la Frontera, Baena, Cabra, Castro del Río, Espejo, Fernán- Núñez, La Rambla, Lucena, Montemayor and Santaella. The Breeding Zone is also completed with the urban center of Córdoba city.

Most of the vineyards are concentrated in the municipality of Montilla.

The harvest usually begins in Montilla-Moriles, due to climatic circumstances, at the end of August. In the winery, the grapes from each estate are processed separately, knowing that the grapes from the highest quality soils, from the best albarizas, will give the most qualified wines for the aging of finos.

Once the fermentation is finished, separated from the lees, around February, the wines are classified. In the Montilla-Moriles PDO there are different types of crianza:

Biological aging. In biological aging, the wine ages under the "veil of flor", in oak vats, which are not completely filled in order to leave a free surface where the characteristic veil develops.

Oxidative aging. The wine ages mainly as a result of natural physical-chemical reactions in wooden vats, either through the "criaderas y soleras" system or through vintages.

Wine vinegar is also a product traditionally produced in the Montilla-Moriles area, aged with the same aging systems, which can only be applied with the mastery and knowledge acquired by the winemakers in the aging of fortified wines in the area.