D.O. Toro
The Toro Denominación de Origen is relatively new, having been established in 1987, but wine has been produced on this stretch of the River Duero since Roman times. Somewhat more recently, as the locals take pride in recounting, Toro wines were loaded onto ships sailing to the New World as they were known to be “indomitable during long voyages”. Since then, the production of Toro wines has undergone many changes and the wines made in the more than 40 wineries in the D.O. are now among Spain’s finest and can easily compete with wines from other countries.
The principal grape variety used for making these Spanish red wines is Tinta de Toro, a close relation to Tempranillo and Tinta de Fino. The climate conditions in this area include very cold winters with temperatures dropping to -11ºC, while the summers temperatures rise up to 37ºC. The mean annual rainfall is around 400mm. These extreme conditions lead to early ripening of the grapes and enable the wineries to use carbonic maceration. This gives rise to fragrant, fresh and aromatic wines that appear on the market in November of the same year in which the grapes are harvested.
Garnacha, Verdejo and Malvasia grapes are also used to great effect but are outnumbered and outclassed by the superb Tinta de Toro wines. Amongst the Toro wines receiving acclaim internationally are Termanthia and Numanthia. Termanthia, in particular, received the rarely-awarded 100 points for the 2004 vintage from the famous American critic, Robert Parker. Other excellent wines from this region include Elías Mora, Pago La Jara and Colegiata.