Toro

The Toro Designation of Origin extends across the provinces of Zamora and Valladolid on the Castilian plateau, where the Duero river crosses an austere landscape of high plains and stony soils. Its winemaking history dates back to Roman times, and by the 13th century Toro wines were already served to the kings of León and Castile. During the phylloxera crisis that devastated Europe's vineyards in the 19th century, Toro's vines survived thanks to their geographical isolation and the sandy soils that prevented the pest from spreading.

The leading grape is Tinta de Toro, a local clone of Tempranillo adapted over centuries to the area's extreme conditions: scorching summers with temperatures above 40 degrees, freezing winters and scarce rainfall. This natural selection has produced a thick-skinned variety with robust tannins and extraordinary fruit concentration that sets Toro wines apart from any other Tempranillo in the world. The old vines, many of them pre-phylloxera and ungrafted, provide a complexity and depth that are hard to match.

The Tempos Vega Sicilia group chose Toro to establish Bodegas Pintia because it recognised a unique potential in this land: the ability to produce wines of enormous personality and structure, capable of ageing gracefully. Pintia represents Vega Sicilia's vision applied to the most powerful terroir of the Iberian Peninsula, combining the intensity of Tinta de Toro with the finesse and winemaking rigour that characterise the house.