It’s a load of old Toro!
When I first visited Toro many years ago, it was almost a surprise to find that the landscape was covered with vineyards, as I had been led to believe that this was the bread basket of Spain, and more famous for wheat fields, as far as the eye could see - than vines. Indeed it was, and still is, but many houses had a large flask standing by the main door, signifying that wine was sold there. Bulk wine of course: no-one had got round to bottling it back then and, anyway, the only customers were local people who thought no more of buying a 5-litre garrafa of wine than buying a loaf of bread. They apparently had little trouble with the 16º alcohol content either!
It is no exaggeration to say that if I had been so inclined I could have exchanged my car for a large vineyard, probably with a house thrown in for free. The peasants were literally scratching a living, and poverty stared you in the face wherever you looked.
Indeed, it is well founded in Marbella lore that one of the town’s pioneers, the Marqués de Salamanca, exchanged one of his old lorries for what was then a vineyard-covered hillside in front of where the Marbella Club now stands. Another missed opportunity, I suppose. However, vineyards in the Toro region now sell for the same price as the best land in Ribera del Duero – if you can find any for sale.
The transformation has taken place in the last six years. The area sits on the bank of the Duero river, between Rueda (the white wine-growing denomination) and Los Arribes, and is about 40 km from the Portuguese border. The climate is harsh, much harsher than the boiling-in-summer, freezing-in-winter climate of Ribera del Duero, and that’s saying something.
The theory goes that because of the intensely cold winters the black grapes grow a thicker skin than usual, and this causes the deep red colour and high tannin levels of the resulting wine. Indeed, this is what characterises Toro wines – their strength and their staying power.
The main grape is Tinta de Toro, a local form of Tempranillo and Malvasia is also permitted, while Cabernet Sauvignon is not. Wines currently made in the region are down from the previous 16º alcohol by volume level, and although the minimum permitted is 12.5º, most wines have around 14º and even 15º.
So, this is not a wine for careless quaffing. You need to plan the occasion, lay on substantial food, and make sure you have nothing to do later that afternoon. You also need to open the bottle well in advance, and many of the better Toro wines actually taste better the day following, so great is their desire to take in air slowly and develop gradually after opening. White wines are made in the area, but are not worthy of consideration.
Before Toro was pronounced of DO quality in 1987, much of the wine went to Ribera del Duero to be blended, and it is no secret now (it was then!) that the great Vega Sicilia bodega was a regular buyer. They were not the only buyers either, but once the word was out and Toro wines became famous overnight.
The first immigrant was Alejandro Fernández, of Tinto Pesquera, rapidly followed by Eguren of Rioja. The floodgates had been opened, and in the following year (2000/2001), established names from Rueda, Navarra, Rioja and Ribera all bought vineyards in Toro. There are now some 25 established bodegas in the zone, and the dirt-poor peasant who did not sell his vineyard to one of the in-comers now sells the grapes he grows to the wineries at twenty times the price he got before. Even Vega Sicilia has its own bodega there, and produced its first Toro wine last year, Pintia.
There is considerable discussion as to whether the in-comers paid too much for their vineyards, and whether the investment has been justified. However, Toro wines are now world-famous, and command in the main very high – and possibly unjustified – prices. You have to be prepared to pay around €25 for a middle of the road Toro, and there are others at much higher prices.
Have Toro wines eclipsed Rioja or Ribera?
Good though they are, I think producers from other regions can sleep easy in their beds. There will always be people who prefer Toro wine over other regions, but it is not a wine for all tastes due to its intensity and strength. One distinct advantage, though, is that you can safely lay it down for the next 10-15 years and it will only get better.
Names to watch out for are Numanthia, Termanthia, both from the Eguren stable, Estancia Piedra (from the vineyard of the same name owned by Grant Stein, a Scottish tax lawyer), the Colegiata range from Fariña, Orot, Villaester, Rejadorada and Wences.
If you want a reasonably-priced introduction to Toro, get a bottle of Garcilaso, 100% Tinta de Toro and 9 months in French oak, at around €15. The 2003 is drinking well, and will do so for another 10 years. This prize-winning Toro wine comes from the Yllera Group, which owns 5,000 hectares of vines in the region, and has clearly bet heavily on the future of Toro wines.
A good selection of Toro wines, including Garciloso, can be found at Vinacoteca La Cartuja, Edf María III, Plaza Gómez Aguilera, Marbella. Tel 95 2775203.
