Toro
In the southeast corner of the province, where Zamora meets Valladolid, is the winemaking region of Toro, a place where grapes were already being fermented when the Roman troops took the current city of Toro as their base to defeat the Cantabrians and Asturians.
Officially constituted in 1987, the Toro DO is part of the natural regions of Tierra del Vino, Valle del Guareña and Tierra de Toro, and borders on the desolate uplands of Tierra del Pan and Tierra de Campos. The area covers 60,000 hectares, 5,800 of them dedicated to the vine that helps shape its characteristic landscape.
The area encompasses three municipalities of Valladolid, which include three wineries and twelve Zamoran municipalities where 41 winemakers are located. In addition to the city of Toro, the Zamoran part of this DO includes the municipalities of Argujillo, Bóveda de Toro, Morales de Toro, El Pego, Peleagonzalo, El Piñero, San Miguel de la Ribera, Sanzoles, Valdefinjas, Venialbo and Villabuena del Puente.
The sharp cold of Toro’s winters, along with its hot summers and many hours of sunlight throughout the year, provide an exceptional quality grape, particular to the local variety, Tinta de Toro.
In addition to the main variety, Grenache is also used. In white wines, the Verdejo and Malvasía grapes are used.
Among the wines that have brought worldwide renown to the region are its young and oaky reds and aged wines, matured over the course of at least 12 months, six of those months in oak barrels. Gran reserve wines are at least five years old and have been aged at least 24 months in oak barrels.
Rosés and whites are produced as well, the necessary complements to the true kings of the denomination, the reds.