Description

Toro is intriguing. Partly it’s the beauty of the place – the high, exposed meseta, the centenarian vineyards, the sense of a sleeping-beauty region blinking in the light of a new age; partly it’s the work involved in adapting to that new age, an age of freshness and drinkability. Toro seemed to have its style worked out, in the era of mega-extraction and weight; and then the world changed, and Toro has had to change with it.

If Toro has not quite found its new style yet, the speed of change is remarkable. Every time I visit it seems to be closer to its goal, but I’m still not clear exactly what that goal might be. It’s a region naturally gifted in power and tannin; ripeness comes easily, and high alcohol is taken for granted. Where do you find acidity in such a place? Is 15% alcohol an advantage or a disadvantage? Is it a great terroir, or a very good one? It has much that makes it different to the rest of Spain, and it has a foothold in the luxury market, but it must fight for consumer attention with Rioja and Ribera del Duero. There are some excellent wines of character and originality, including some unexpectedly good whites, and there will be more. My report is a tale of a region evolving before one’s eyes.

Margaret Rand