Solera by the producers of sherry. In a Spanish sherry "solera", the vintner may transfer about a third of each barrel a year. A solera sherry has to be at least three years old when bottled. A quite similar process is called sostrera, used to produce fortified wines in the Mediterranean regions of France. In Sicily, where Marsala wine is made, the system is called "in perpetuum". Solera vinification is used in the making of Mavrodafni ("Black Laurel"), a fortified red dessert wine made in the Northern Peloponnese in Greece. Exceptional "Mavrodafni" vintages are released every 20 or 30 years: they
Marsala wine especially prevalent in dishes served in Italian restaurants in the United States. Dry Marsala wine is used in savory cooking. A typical savory Marsala sauce, for example, involves reducing the wine almost to a syrup with onions or shallots, then adding mushrooms and herbs. One of the most popular Marsala recipes is chicken marsala, in which flour-coated pounded chicken breast halves are braised in a mixture of Marsala, butter, olive oil, mushrooms, and spices. Marsala is also used in some risotto recipes. Sweet Marsala wine is used to produce rich Italian desserts such as "zabaglione", tiramisu and shortcake. Marsala wine