DO Toro: Tasting a land and its history

Looking out from the town of Toro over the Meseta Central

Toro’s early risers know that there are few better sights than the sunrise over the great Meseta Central (the Central Plateau), which dominates the region of Castilla y León. As you look out from the Alcázar de Toro (the town’s fortress), the river Duero approaches the city from the south before curving westwards on its journey to Portugal.

To the east of Toro, you can almost see the town of Tordesillas in Rueda, while in the west, Zamora hovers on the horizon. Directly ahead, the plain stretches all the way south to Salamanca. As the dawn breaks, this vast landscape is embraced by the rising sun’s warm, amber rays, tentacles that slowly creep across the region’s imposing plain.

Perched at an altitude of 740m, Toro surveys the surrounding fields and vineyards. In the Middle Ages, the town was strategically important in the feuds between warring royal factions. But even then, against the backdrop of court intrigues, Toro wine played an important role: records show that, unusually, they were distributed to other parts of the country. In fact, throughout Toro’s past, its wines have been central to its development and identity.

Toro’s wines have been renowned for centuries

A region steeped in history

Christopher Columbus could be considered the first exporter of Spanish wines to the New World: he stocked his ships with the high-alcohol wines of Toro, since they had the substance to last the journey. The renown of the region’s wines endured for centuries – until the upheaval following the Civil War, when cereal crops replaced much of Toro’s vineyard area as the country attempted to increase food production.

This could have been the end of the story for Toro – but in 1987 the Denominación de Origen was created, followed by an influx of investment from producers from other regions of Spain. Vega Sicilia was one of the first to show interest, bringing its know-how from Ribera del Duero to establish Bodegas Pintia. Likewise, the Eguren family of Sierra Cantabria in Rioja soon bought into the region and launched their Numanthia range of wines.

DO Toro’s 2024 harvest totalled around 19.7 million kg

Toro today

DO Toro encompasses nearly 5,500ha of vines, which provide the grapes to 64 registered wineries – who harvested just under 20.3 million kg in 2024. With the arrival of new winemakers in the 1990s and 2000s, many new vineyards were planted, some of which, now 30 years old, are producing outstanding wines.

But one of the particular jewels of Toro is its concentration of old vines. The sands here are very stony and sandy, which protected Toro’s vineyards from the worst impacts of phylloxera at the turn of the last century. There are still over 1,000ha of vines that are over 50 years old – and some that are over 100 years old.

This is Tinta de Toro country. Sometimes misleadingly described as a clone of Tempranillo, Tinta de Toro has its own very distinct phenotypic profile, and has emphatically made its home in the region. It is by far the most planted grape, claiming 92% of the total vineyard area, and is the protagonist in most of the DO’s wines. Garnacha is the region’s second red grape (with 2% of total plantings). DO Toro’s few whites (accounting for just under 6% of land under vine) are made up of Malvasía Castellana, Verdejo, Albillo Real and Moscatel de Grano Menudo.

About 60% of the DO’s vineyards are centred around the towns of Morales de Toro and Toro itself. San Roman de Hornija, to the south-east of Toro, and Pedroso del Rey, to the north-east, are the next most important vineyard areas. Lastly, two towns in the deep south of the DO – El Pego and Venialbo – make up the third significant sub-zone of production, and are recognised by producers as areas of great viticultural interest.

These grapes have adapted to the dry and unforgiving climate of hot summers and very cold winters. Anyone planning a trip to the region can probably leave the umbrella at home: Toro only receives 350-400mm of rainfall each year. With a very high number of sunshine hours and a dry continental climate, it is the natural home of rich, powerful reds.

Toro’s stony, sandy soils protected its vineyards from phylloxera

A return to the past

Here, as in many of Spain’s regions, producers are making an exciting return to their origins. What does this mean for DO Toro? Winemakers are abandoning some of the trends of the past – high extraction, intensely toasted new oak, long ageing in barrels – and focusing on a frank and fresh interpretation of their vineyards.

In Toro, growers are rightly proud of Tinta de Toro and the uniqueness of the wines it can produce. Certainly, the wines are big and bold (deliciously so!) but they also offer balanced acidity and a real sense of place. And, of course, they pair perfectly with dishes from Castilla y León’s rich gastronomic tradition, including cochinillo (suckling pig) and lechazo (lamb). You might not be able to reproduce these local dishes from every day, but consider Toro’s wines next time you’re serving that top cut of meat or a Sunday roast.

Tina de Toro is famed for producing serious, ageworthy red wines

Beyond big reds

Although for many wine lovers, Toro’s satisfyingly rich red wines are its signature, the region’s accomplished examples of other styles cannot be ignored. Amid the old Tinta de Toro vineyards, there are also precious white grapes with significant age. A handful of producers are making very characterful whites, predominantly from a base of Verdejo or Malvasía, with great intensity of fruit, balanced with fresh acidity and often a wonderful touch of salinity.

Even among the region’s red wines, there is a notable difference in styles. In this selection, there are unashamedly powerful wines with a wonderful concentration of fruit, framed by long periods of ageing in toasty, chocolatey oak. At the same time, there is a contemporary movement towards more fruit-forward styles of wines, with floral aromas, red cherry fruit and silky tannins.

To achieve this, producers are experimenting with different types of vessels for fermentation and ageing. It is now not unusual in Toro to find 225L barrels sitting alongside large oak vats, concrete tanks and eggs, and clay amphorae – past and present sitting side by side. These changes herald exciting times to come for the region, and are already having an impact on the profile of Toro’s wines.

A wide variety of ageing vessels are used in Toro today

A sustainable future

Producers within DO Toro are also embracing sustainable and organic practices. There is currently no requirement for producers to register organic vineyards or wines with the DO – they are registered through the relevant certifying bodies – so it is difficult to know the exact percentage of organic wines within the region.

With Toro’s dry climate and comparatively low disease pressure, organic viticulture is relatively easy to pursue. Many growers are shunning the use of chemicals and some are even following biodynamic principles. Some of the producers featured below have been at the forefront of DO Toro’s organic movement: Quinta Quietud, Estancia Piedra and Bodegas Sobreño.

The town of Toro sits above a bend in the river Duero

The next generation

To accompany the region’s long history and its established traditions, there is a new spirit of dynamism in Toro, reflected in the character of the wines coming out of the DO. For those who have long followed the region, there are still excellent wines with intense fruit and sweet and spicy oak that are sure to appeal. But now they are joined by vibrant and lively modern wines with bright acidity and loads of personality that are winning new fans for the region. The region’s new generation of young winemakers are already embracing evolution and change.

Tinta de Toro can produce the most delicious young, juicy reds for everyday drinking as well as complex wines that require longer ageing and serious contemplation. For lovers of red wines, Toro offers a wine for every occasion.


Top DO Toro wines to try

Bodegas Bigardo, Pellejo 2022
96pts
Seeking UK representation
An elegant interpretation of 100-year old vines in Valdefinjas. Aged for 15 months in oak, the wine is already well integrated but will soften further with time. The fruit is pretty, with raspberries and wild strawberries, while the tannins are sweet and seductive. A very serious wine with the potential to age, this is also perfect to enjoy now. Delicious!
Alc 15.5% | Drink 2024-2031

Bodegas Frontaura & Victoria, Aponte Plus 2018
96pts
Seeking UK representation
There is lovely finesse and fluidity to this wine, which is fresh and vibrant while starting to show just a hint of graceful evolution. Grapes come from ungrafted vines in Villabuena del Puente and Morales de Toro grown on clay loam soils. The wine spends 21 months in fine-grained, new French oak, bringing an attractive minty lift and allowing the purity of fruit to shine.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2032

Bodegas Vetus, Celsus 2021
96pts
Available from Liberty Wines
A very delicate example of Toro. Although lacking nothing in concentration, the wine is refined and refreshing with a bright, chalky lift. The nose offers bright red cherry fruit and rose petals, perhaps a reflection of the touch of Garnacha in this blend, while mountain herbs and fresh mint add complexity. The wine is very approachable now, but is equally built for the long haul.
Alc 15%| Drink 2024-2030

Bodega Cuatro Mil Cepas, Díscolo El Magnífico 2019
95pts
Seeking UK representation
Powerful and bold, this Tinta de Toro is layered with red berries, blueberry and chocolate notes. It spends 48 months in high-quality oak with very fine grain, bringing a wonderful woody and exotic spice, as well as some balsamic freshness. Tannins are ripe and very well managed, and the wine finishes with delightfully moreish cherry, fig and licorice. Classy and complex.
Alc 15%| Drink 2024-2031

Bodegas Campo Elíseo, Campo Elíseo 2018
95pts
Available from Nickolls & Perks
2018 was a wet year and resulted in higher acidity, possibly reflected here in the ageability of this wine. It is just starting to evolve, with appealing orange peel, peach syrup and strawberry jam notes. The oak here brings a graphite lift and subtle bitter chocolate notes, somewhat controlling the firm and structured Toro tannins. The wine is elegant and refined with serious intensity.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2034

Bodegas Bigardo, Bigardo 2021
95pts
Seeking UK representation
An honest and frank Tinta de Toro which is at once lively – with chalky, grippy tannins – and voluptuously silky, with layers of ripe red fruits. Floral violet notes combine with vibrant red cherries that lead to a palate driven by acidity. A fresh and refreshing red, with only 10 months in used oak, fruit-focused without relying on makeup.
Alc 14% | Drink 2024-2027

Bodegas Rodríguez y Sanzo, Las Tierras Extinta 2017
95pts
UK importers: Oakley Wine Agencies
This wine is the expression of three pre-phylloxera vineyards in San Román de Hornija, Morales de Toro and El Pego (planted in 1875) at an average altitude of 950m. Fermented in oak and aged in both barrels and concrete, the wine displays beautiful red fruits, raspberry and cherry, reflecting a little Garnacha in the blend. The tannins are perfectly ripe, and the wine is sublimely elegant and long.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2030

Bodegas Vetus, Vetus 2020
95pts
Available from Liberty Wines
This Tinta de Toro offers blackberry and fig aromas with some fresh balsamic notes. Delightfully sweet on the palate with a lively redcurrant crunch. Muscular, with a structure that will serve it well over the coming years, the wine is framed by 12 months ageing in French and American oak. It finishes with appealing, savoury, black olives.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2030

Finca Volvoreta, L’Amphore 2019
95pts
Seeking UK representation
María Alfonso only makes this wine in good years – but thank goodness she perseveres! The wine is fermented and aged for 12 months in clay tinajas which bring a fabulous bloody, metallic character to the brooding dark berries, dates and spice of this organic vineyard. It is charmingly rustic with loads of personality and drive. On the evidence of previous vintages, this is sure to age well.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2032

Bodegas Fariña, Campus Gothorum 2019
94pts
UK importers: C&D Wines and Foods
Wonderfully dark and brooding, this intensely powerful wine comes from six parcels of very old vines, planted on their own root stock on sandy and rocky soils. Blackberry, dried fruit and frankincense dominate the nose while the palate is plummy and well supported by ripe but firm tannins. Its concentration is balanced by impressive acidity, softened after 15 months in fine French oak. This will continue to develop.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2031

Bodegas Rejadorada, Bravo 2018
94pts
Available from House of Townend
As the name and label suggest, this is a big and bold wine that deserves our applause. Only 800 bottles are made each year, from a single vineyard planted in 1910, Finca El Castañar. It offers the impressive concentration of old vines with mountains of red berry fruit. There is obvious oak – warranted to support the structure and intensity of the wine – but after some time the woody aromas settle. A wine for serious food, which will repay decanting.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2030

Bodegas Rodríguez y Sanzo, La Viña de Amaya 2020
94pts
UK importers: Oakley Wine Agencies
Javier Rodríguez bought this vineyard in Los Arenales, San Miguel de la Ribera, for his daughter, and named it after her. Planted in 1968, this 2.6ha parcel offers fantastic old-vine concentration. Pretty red berry fruit combines with mint and a touch of garrigue on the nose, while the palate is vibrant and finessed. One fifth of the grapes are fermented with stems, bringing great energy and an elegant lift on the finish.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodega Cuatro Mil Cepas, Díscolo 2020
94pts
Seeking UK representation
Certified organic, the main focus of this wine is deep and dark Tinta de Toro fruit. It spends around 22 months in fine-grained, top-quality French oak, which supports the wine nicely. Plummy and juicy, there is some lively red pepper and Christmas spice, resulting in a profound and layered wine.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2028

Finca Volvoreta, Flores de Cerezo 2023
94pts
Seeking UK representation
A pretty wine with great energy, this offers delightful red cherry aromas and a touch of blackberry fruit. There are some white grapes in the blend (as permitted), bringing extra freshness and lift, and the wine has a driven, metallic core. Serious enough to accompany substantial meals but sufficiently lively to enjoy on its own.
Alc 14% | Drink 2024-2030

Bodegas Sobreño, Ildefonso 2018
94pts
UK importers: Direct Wines
From organic vineyards, which will soon also have biodynamic certification, this is a representation of both the intensity of old vines and the freshness and vibrancy of younger vineyards. Intense dark berries and spice are lifted on the palate by an underlying minerality, while the wine finishes with a hint of dark chocolate and a stony, graphite lift.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2032

San Román, Garnacha 2021
94pts
UK importers: City Wine Collection
Pretty, exuberant Garnacha with loads of red cherry fruit. This was the first varietal Garnacha released in the DO, back in 2018. It is fermented with 80% whole-bunch, bringing a bit of lift and freshness. Following 18 months in 500L barrels, it is rounded with sweet, ripe tannins. With concentrated fruit but lifted, this is a great expression of Garnacha from Toro.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodegas Campo Elíseo, Contracorriente 2023
94pts
Available from: Nickolls & Perks
This is the first release of this cuvée, with a heady and attractive bouquet of violets, mint and forest herbs. Tinta de Toro is co-fermented with some Malvasía to bring a little extra freshness that lifts the red cherry core. The tannins are sweet and ripe, and the finish is long and fruity. Elegant and complex, and very tasty!
Alc 14% | Drink 2024-2028

Matsu, El Viejo 2021
93pts
Available from: Majestic Wine Warehouses
The concentration here reflects the age of the vines: over 100 years old. The Tinta de Toro is fermented in concrete and then aged in new barrels, resulting in a very balanced wine with attractive graphite notes and dark berry fruit. It is still very young and deserves more time, but its acid core suggests long ageing ahead. A bright black pepper lift on the finish.
Alc 15% | Drink 2026-2028

Frutos Villar, Muruve Gran Reserva 2016
93pts
UK importers: Berkmann Wine Cellars
A classy interpretation of a classic style of wine, this comes from the winery’s oldest vines (over 100 years old) and spends 24-36 months in new French oak. The barrels’ toasting is low, so the wine is not dominated by woody aromas; instead it has a balsamic freshness and an appetising blend of smoky bacon and dark berry fruit. It is ready to drink now but should develop further.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2032

San Román, Cartago 2019
93pts
UK importers: City Wine Collection
A single-vineyard wine from the easternmost area of Toro. It is fantastically fresh, with chalky tannins and a metallic core. Pretty floral notes combine with layers of red berries and a lick of licorice on the palate. It spends 30 months in barrels and a further two years in bottle before release; the resulting wine is polished with a graphite lift on the finish.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2030

Bodegas Frontaura & Victoria, Frontaura & Victoria 2018
93pts
Seeking UK representation
With nearly six years of age, this is starting to soften and show attractive evolved notes. The nose offers sweet strawberry jam aromas and a little spice, while the palate is fleshy with peach syrup and orange zest. Oak is very well integrated, and tannins are soft – a very good example of the Crianza style.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodegas Maires, Maires Colección Privada 2021
93pts
UK importers: Quaff Ltd
A seductively big and bold Toro that reflects its vineyard. The wine is tamed by 24 months in oak, which brings some attractive chocolate sweetness, complementing the bright raspberry and plum on the palate. It shows great balance and finishes with a lick of licorice and intense black pepper spice.
Alc 15.5% | Drink 2024-2030

Matsu, La Jefa 2021
93pts
UK importers: Basco
Made mostly from Malvasía Castellana, chiefly from small parcels of old vines, this is one of the best whites in Toro. Sandy soils offer finesse and elegance in a wine laden with pear, lime and fresh pineapple. It ages for a little over a year in 500L oak barrels, and offers a minty freshness. The acid is lemony and direct, and the wine finishes with a bright pithiness.
Alc 12.5% | Drink 2024-2027

Bodegas Mazas, Senda de Lobo 2019
93pts
Available from: Spanish Wines Online
Only 1,206 bottles were made of the 2019 vintage of this wine, which comes from one of Bodegas Mazas’ best vineyards, planted on stony soils. Aromas of raspberry and red cherry fruit reflect the purity of the Tinta de Toro grape, and ageing in 400L barrels brings a creaminess to the palate. It finishes with a little tannic grip and a steely freshness.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodega Legado de Orniz, Epitafio 2020
92pts
UK importers: Iberian Aesthetics
This wine comes from 100-year-old vines grown in San Román de Hornija. Redcurrants and cranberry fruit combine with a touch of peppery spice, and 12 months in French oak brings a minty lift and a touch of sweet chocolate. It is a characterful wine that speaks of the area, and finishes with an attractive savoury note.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodegas Francisco Casas, Los Bayones Finca La Manga 2019
92pts
UK importers: Myliko Wines
The family-owned winery produces this wine from a single vineyard of 30-35-year-old Tinta de Toro vines: it is elegant, with pretty cherry and raspberry fruit and floral rose aromas. 14 months in oak has somewhat softened the wine, but doesn’t interfere, and it still has great acid drive. Just enough tannic grip on the finish keeps things interesting to the end.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodega Carodorum, Carodorum Vino de Autor 2020
91pts
Seeking UK representation
A well-made, bold and powerful Toro with layers of dried fruit, dates and citrus peel. The palate is full of prune and black pepper spice with obvious oak influence (it spends 15 months in French oak): notes of dark chocolate and pencil shavings. For lovers of rich and concentrated red wines, this will benefit from decanting.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2031

La Viña del Abuelo, Selección Especial 2018
91pts
Seeking UK representation
A Tinta de Toro that offers both power and grace, having softened after 14 months in French oak and further time in bottle. The nose is bright and breezy with pretty strawberry fruit and rose aromas. There is also a little spice and a lively touch of citrus peel, while tannin on the finish shows ageing potential to come.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2028

Monte la Reina, Castillo Monte la Reina Crianza 2021
91pts
Available from: Experience Wine
The signature wine from Monte la Reina shows great typicity, not just of the variety but the region. Dark berry and dried fruits combine with mint, chocolate and a touch of tobacco. It spends 12 months in French oak, which is well integrated and leads to a graphite, green olive lift on the finish.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2027

Bodegas Valbusenda, Verdejo Fermentado en Barrica 2020
91pts
Seeking UK representation
A white wine with unique character from the Toro terroir. This is 100% Verdejo, fermented in 500L French barrels and then aged for around 10 months. It is quite deep in colour, and laden with white peach and stone fruit. The oak is high-quality and gives the wine a great lift on the finish.
Alc 13.5% | Drink 2024-2027

Palacio de Villachica, Arbocala 2021
91pts
Seeking UK representation
Fruit-forward and immediately appealing, this is a modern interpretation of Toro. Fermented and aged for around 10 months in French and American oak, the wine is very balanced, with plush red berry and blueberry fruit and floral notes. It is spicy and fresh, and finishes with a bright, Campari-esque bittersweet twist.
Alc 15.5% | Drink 2026-2028

Quinta de la Quietud, Corral de Campanas 2020
90pts
UK importers: Pata Negra Spanish Food
100% Tinta de Toro from certified organic vineyards, this is an honest and highly enjoyable fruit-forward red. With vibrant raspberry aromas on the nose, the wine is exuberant and bright. The tannins are ripe, and there’s just enough tannic lift on the finish to provide some structure. This could be served chilled on a hot summer’s day.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2026

Bodega Orot, Orot Crianza 2020
89pts
Seeking UK representation
A fresh and modern Crianza, this is a Tinta de Toro that displays bright strawberry fruit and peppery spice. The palate is juicy and plush with well-balanced acidity. Tannins are ripe and well-managed, with a long, fruity finish. A real crowd-pleaser.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2028

Bodegas Piedra, Piedra Joven 2023
89pts
UK importers: Milestone Wines
A certified organic wine in the best traditions of young and immediately approachable reds from Spain. Lively raspberry and floral aromas on the nose lead to a fresh and fruity palate which offers great balance with ripe tannins and bright acidity. A wine whose appeal lies in its simplicity.
Alc 15% | Drink 2024-2026

Bodegas Ernesto del Palacio, Ernesto del Palacio Crianza 2019
89pts
UK importers: Beyond the Bottle
This classic Crianza comes from 100 year old vines planted on soils rich in gravelly stones. Here we find chocolate notes and a little creaminess from six months ageing in French and American oak. The wine displays balsamic notes and a touch of rum sweetness on the finish. There’s some intense tannin which adds some character and personality to the wine.
Alc 14.5% | Drink 2024-2030


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