This is what good wine from the Tinta de Toro grape tastes like

Tinta de Toro is the name given in the Spanish region of Toro to Tempranillo, the country's most important dark-skinned quality grape. It produces deep red wines with a fruity aroma of forest fruits such as blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, black cherry and raspberry. These are generally lush, supple wines.

You'll find Tempranillo in almost every wine region in Spain. Tempranillo probably originates from La Rioja. Winemakers like to blend it with other grapes. The flavor of the wine depends mainly on exactly how the Tempranillo is made. That can be young and unaged in oak, as with a Joven from Rioja. But most Tempranillo is aged in oak barrels, becoming Crianza or Reserva. These are richer in flavor, with a warm vanilla aroma.

Internationally, Tempranillo is still on the verge of a definitive breakthrough. For years it was overlooked. New World winemakers were focused on grapes from north of the Pyrenees, preferably from Bordeaux.

The Spanish themselves also contributed to this. They never put the grape's name on the label. Moreover, Tempranillo has its own name in every region: Ull de Llebre in Catalonia, Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero, simply Tinto in Madrid, Tinto Roriz in the Douro Valley, Aragonez in Alentejo, Cencibel in Valdepeñas and elsewhere Tinto de País, Tinto de la Rioja or Tinta de Toro. All Tempranillo, in other words.

Winemakers in Australia have since started experimenting eagerly with this Spanish grape, which feels perfectly at home in a warm, sunny climate. It is also increasingly planted in California, southern France and Italy. But for now, the best Tempranillos still come from Spain.