In this video, Daniel del Rio, vineyard manager of Numanthia, explains what makes tempranillo from Toro unique. Toro is an appellation located in the vicinity of Zamora, not far from Ribera del Duero. Like in Ribera del Duero, the dominant variety in Toro is tempranillo.
What is unique about the tempranillo from Toro, which is known as tinta de Toro, is that many of the vineyards are ungrafted. The clones of the ungrafted vines in Toro have been there adapting to the region’s microclimate for centuries. In fact, the vegetative cycle of tinta de Toro is 20 days shorter than that of tempranillo in Rioja. This is mainly because the Toro appellation is at a much lower altitude and is significantly warmer. As Daniel explains, there is no autumn, just hot summers and cold winters. The climatic excesses of the region forced the variety to adapt entirely differently.
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