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TORO Bodega
Viña Bajoz, S. Coop. Avda. De Los Comuneros, 90.
49810 Morales de Toro. Zamora - Spain
Bajoz was founded in 1962 by eight farmers who recognised the great potential of the land in TORO. Until 1997 the winery was directed by the increasing number of local farmers and distribution was limited to the local market. However, 1997 marked the arrival of a new young and energetic management team. Since then, the change has been remarkable. After starting a five year development plan and modernising the company’s philosophy, the success experienced locally spread nationally and more recently internationally to almost 50 countries in four years. Today
the winery has 142 co-operatives (grape growers) who, together,
control a third of all the D.O´s grapes making Bodega
Viña Bajoz the largest winery in the up and coming
Toro D.O. The winery produces almost 5 million litres of
wine but has a total capacity of 6 million litres. Since
the arrival of the new team the winery has undergone a complete
transformation. 2000 saw the completion of a new hi-tech
winery behind the original one which houses the most modern
wine making equipment. The bottling line has been renovated
to complete the whole process. An underground cellar to
house 2000 barrels was constructed in 2001. 2004 saw the
start of private underground cellars being built to store
small batches of special grape selected wines. They have
worked hard to assure that the traditional range of wines
were reinvented and improved. Once this had been achieved
the team set to work at the top end of the range. GRAN BAJOZ
has been widely recognised as one of the best wines from
the region by international press. Given that Bajoz has
the largest number of old vines in the region, the potential
is huge. After having improved considerably the quality of the reds in Toro, in 2001 Bajoz moved into Rueda for its whites after many requests from current partners to apply the Bajoz modern quality focused philosophy into other regions. In a continued effort to serve the world with modern, quality Spanish wines made in the Bajoz style, Bajoz moved into Rioja to make small quantities of modern Crianza from Spain´s most famous region. The resulting aged wine is called CYRANO. At the forefront of innovation and quality in Toro is BAJOZ. Not only does Bajoz account for around a third of the D.O, but it is also right at the leading edge of quality due to substantial investment in state of the art winemaking equipment, vineyard management and a new approach to winemaking created by an implausibly young team led by Máximo Perez from the Rioja region. The resulting wines, with their striking packaging, are the perfect combination of a great low yielding historic terroir and up to the minute modern methods. From delicious, rich, soft but deeply flavoured fruit driven young wine through to the complex oak aged Crianza, on to tiny quantities of Reserva and Gran Bajoz for laying down, Bajoz is producing some of Spain´s premium wines – and they have only just begun to reveal Toro´s incredible potential. Garnacha Tinta and Malvasia are also used for fresh, dry, fruity and aromatic rosé and white wines. The Denomination of Origin TORO The wine world has seen several Spanish regions quickly rise from obscurity to international prominence and Toro has become the next. It is now widely recognised as one of Spain´s top regions for the production of powerful quality reds. Despite a history of recognition for its wines going back to the Middle Ages, Toro was only awarded DO status in 1987 for the exceptional potential of its red grape – Tinta de Toro – and the naturally low yielding terroir. Today many of the leading top quality wine estates from more established regions such as Ribera del Duero and Rioja have recognised the enormous potential of the region and started to build more wine cellars there.
Harvest time previously started in October producing wines naturally with 17% Alc. Vol due to little rain (300-450mm/year) and the effect of 3000 hours of sunshine. Today, harvests start around the middle of September and finish at the beginning of October. Grapes are still hand picked to insure they reach the winery with no defects. Toro owes a large part of its fame to the indigenous grape variety “TINTA DE TORO”. Deriving from the noble Tempranillo, it has perfectly adapted to the sandy soils and continental climate of TORO. The result is great, full bodied wines whilst still being well balanced. “Tinta De Toro” occupies 78% of all vineyards and this percentage looks set to increase as the true pleasures of this varietal are becoming more and more appreciated.
WINES FROM THIS WINERY
Outside the DO Toro:
Pictures and text courtesy of Bajoz. Vintage
Spain can help you organize visits to the winery.
Contac us for more information info@vintagespain.com
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Not
only is it the largest winery in the D.O. Toro, but also
one of the most innovative. They produce fantastic wines
of the highest quality and they are also very happy to receive
visits in the winery.
The
Toro D.O is located in the lower Ribera del Duero and the
regions altitude gives our vineyards full daytime sunshine
with cooler nights all year round. The difference between
day and night temperatures can reach 20ºC. Winters
are harsh and summers very hot. This results in riper and
thicker skinned fruit, which allows for the production of
wines with considerable extract in terms of flavour, colour
and intensity. All our 1050 hectares of vineyard are situated
on the incredibly flat Castile “meseta” at a
height of 620-750m and produce an average yield of 27 hl/h
- one of the lowest in the world due to the fact that all
vines are planted at a distant of three meters.