Saca

What it is

Saca is Spanish for “draw” or “extraction”. In sherry production it refers to the act of drawing wine out of the oldest row of casks (the solera, the bottom row of the criadera-y-solera system) for bottling. The drawn portion is then refilled from the younger criaderas, in a continuous chain from older to younger wine.

A saca isn’t a winemaking step but an end-stage event: the moment a specific batch of sherry leaves the solera and is bottled.

How it works

In a typical five-row solera system (one solera + four criaderas):

1. The cellarmaster draws a percentage (often 25 to 33 percent) from the solera (bottom row, oldest wine)
2. The drawn wine is bottled directly or set aside for finishing
3. The empty space in the solera is topped up with wine from the first criadera (the row above)
4. The first criadera is refilled from the second, and so on
5. The top criadera receives young wine from the current harvest

One saca per year is the standard for Fino and Manzanilla. For Oloroso or Palo Cortado it can be once every two to five years (longer ageing, lower extraction).

Seasonal sacas

Since Barbadillo started seasonal sacas for Solear Pasada en Rama in 1999, several producers have adopted the pattern. Four sacas per year, one per season:

• Saca de Primavera (spring)
• Saca de Verano (summer)
• Saca de Otoño (autumn)
• Saca de Invierno (winter)

Each seasonal saca shows a different flor condition. Spring: flor at its peak, fresh and salty. Summer: thinner flor due to warmth, rounder. Autumn: flor recovering, fruitier. Winter: dense flor, sharp and taut.

On the label

Many premium sherry bottlings show the saca date. Crucial for en rama sherry, which oxidises quickly after bottling. A label reading “Saca: March 2025” tells you the bottling date is March 2025.

For vintage bottlings (rare, only with añada sherry) the harvest year is shown rather than the saca date. For solera bottlings the saca date is the relevant marker.

Specific series

• Equipo Navazos La Bota: numbered sacas with specific bota labels (La Bota 103, 120, 130)
• Lustau 3 en Rama: four mini-bottles from four different sacas
• González Byass Palmas series: four levels of Fino (Una, Dos, Tres, Cuatro Palmas) with saca date

For the drinker

The fresher the saca, the more flor expression. When buying Fino or Manzanilla en rama: ask for the saca date and drink within six months of release for the best experience.