📍 Toro

Toro is a wine appellation in north-western Spain, in the province of Zamora in Castilla y León, on both banks of the Duero river. Its centre is the town of Toro, and the vineyards lie on a plateau at 600 to 750 metres. Summers are hot and dry, winters cold, and nights fresh.

Toro makes strong red wines, regarded as some of the most powerful in Spain. The base is “Tinta de Toro”, a local form of Tempranillo with thicker skins and small berries. The wines are very dark, dense and high in alcohol, with scents of black berries, spice and vanilla from oak. Many vines are old, on sandy and clay soils, and ungrafted.

The Toro appellation was recognised in 1987; before that, wines were largely sold in bulk. A small amount of white and rosé is also made, including from Malvasía and Verdejo.

For comparison with its neighbours: to the east along the Duero lie Ribera del Duero and Cigales with their reds, and to the north Rueda, famous for white Verdejo.