toro & tinta de toro

Toro is a small district located in the far west of the large region of Castilla y Leon.

Wine has been made in Toro since the end of the 1st century BC, dating to a pre-Roman Greek influences. In the Early Middle Ages, the wines from Toro were among the first to be traded in the region of the River Duero. After the fall of Rome, the rise and fall of the Visigoths, and the Moorish incursions of the 8th and 9th centuries, the Reconquista began with the establishment of Christian kingdoms along the southern fringes of the Pyrennees.

King Alfonso IX of Leon (1171-1230) granted lands to several religious orders with the understanding that they would plant vines, and many of the 40 churches that exist in the town of Toro today were built thanks to the wealth generated by the wine trade. The reputation of the wines from Toro grew and it began to be sold in other cities further afield such as Seville and Palencia.

At the end of the 19th century Phylloxera wiped out most of the vineyards in nearby France, and because the sandy soils of Toro preveneted the pest from gaining a foothold, great quantities of wine were exported to France. Toro still has a number of very old vineyards with pre-phylloxera Tinta de Toro, which in recent years have been used to source grapes for special cuvées.

The Toro DOP was created in 1987, and today is one of Spain's leading wine DOPs. Reds are generally 100% Tinta de Toro, rose wines 50% TdT and 50% Garnacha, and a bit of white is produced from either 100% Verdejo or 100% Malvasia.

terroir & climate

The region has an extreme continental climate (long, hot summers, cold winters) with Atlantic influences. Daily temperature swings are also strong. Summers are sunny and dry, with light rainfall mostly in the spring and fall.

The region sits on a high plateau with most vineyards between 2000 and 2400 ft elevation. The soil is a mix of sand, clays and lime-rich shales, well drained and nutrient deprived.

Lagrima: This Toro DOP is produced from family vineyards at 2000 to 2500 elevation wthin the Toro DO. Soils are alluvial sands and gravels atop a deep water-retaining clay layer.

The wine is produced entirely from free-run juice (the “Lagrima” (tear) refers to the juice weeping from the grapes), fermented in stainless and then aged in oak for just a few months to give it roundness and a bit of structurre. A great example of an easy-drinking, berry-fruited Tinta de Toro.

Bodega FArina

The Farina family traces its roots in the region to the 1940’s as growers of Tinta de Toro- the local version of Tempranillo. Joined by their son Manuel in 1968 fresh off his degree in oenology, they quickly set to work to put the Toro region on the map, and when Toro DO was recognized in 1987, Manuel became the Consorzio’s first President.

Today Manuel is joined by his son Manu (BS Agricultural Engineering, MS Oenology), and today the father/son team produce wines that showcase innovation with time-honored tradition, focussing on the local Tinta de Toro grape.

The wines

El Jefe Grande (Rosado & Tinto): This pair, made of Tinta de Toro vinified in stainless without any use of oak, are party wines.

This 180 acre vineyard planted at 2,400 feet is on the northern table lands of Spain known as "La Meseta" of Castilla y Leon. The soil has a top layer of clay, chalk and sand with a deep layer of ferrous clay that retains water easily allowing vines to weather the hot dry summer with only minimal drip irrigation. Vines are farmed naturally with no use of agrichemicals

The fruit for the rose is harvested early for freshness and expression of fruit while the red wine is from regular-harvest grapes at full ripeness. The rose is produced only from free-run juice while the red wine’s grapes get a gentle press. Both are fermented in stainless to produce wines with a bright and fresh character.

100% Tinta de Toro (local clone of Tempranillo) - Packaged in liter bottles and designed to please a crowd, you’ll find them by the glass at some of Boston’s finest Spanish restaurants.

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