This week we wrap up our series on lesser known Spanish wine regions with the Toro DO. Toro is a Spanish DO for wines in the province of Zamora, which is in the northwest of Castilla y Léon. If you are looking at a map of Spain this area is in the west central part of Spain. The DO is named after an ancient settlement called Toro which is 40 miles east of the Portuguese border. Toro means bull in Spanish, although no one really knows why the town was named Toro. The area of Toro DO is about 154,000 acres but only 20,000 acres are vineyards with 14,000 acres registered with the Regulating Body of the DO.
In this episode we discuss:
- History of the Toro wine region
- Climate and Terroir
- Grapes and the wine
- Food pairings
Wine Recommendations
Teso la Monja Romanico 2013 – priced around $19. This 100% Tempranillo wine has been aged for six months in 100% new French oak. It has a aromas of blackberry, red plum, black cherry, dusty leather and beef jerky – smoky and sweet. It’s dry, with medium acidity and tannins and flavors of blackberry, mushrooms, coffee and leather. We thought it was a very balance wine and the nose is very fruity but the flavor not so much. This is a very savory tasting wine and I loved it.
You can purchase this wine here
Numanthia Termes 2014 – priced around $28. This wine is also 100% Tempranillo but aged much longer in oak, 20 months in fact. It has aromas of blackberry, vanilla and sweet baking spices. It’s dry, with medium acidity and tannins with flavors of black plum and blackberries, vanilla, tobacco, and baking spices. This wine is also very balanced but more fruity than the previous wine. Both these wines benefited from fatty foods that cut through the acid.
You can purchase this wine here
Sources