Toro Wine Route: six reasons to discover this medieval town with much more than wineries

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Wine tourism is in fashion and with all the

that we have in Spain, trips are piling up... But nothing happens: relax, because only then will we truly enjoy each one of them.

On this occasion we have come to Zamora to discover the Toro Wine Route.

This is part of what there is to live around here.

1. Tour the Spur

The plain and the Duero - adorned with thick banks of

- is the image that we never tire of looking at from the Espolón, the edge of the hill on which the city of Toro is built.

Following the line of that geological blow that has left the city balanced on a

, a promenade has been built that serves as a viewpoint and through which locals and visitors walk at any time of the day.

Sunset draws many, but

as the sun rises this way.

View of the Duero from the Paseo del Espolón de Toro.

There is usually fog, which dissipates little by little, as the sky becomes bluer.

The sun begins to illuminate the

a fortress that was part of the first walled enclosure of Toro and that witnessed important historical events (it welcomed, for example,

when the city positioned itself alongside her in her fight with Isabel by

), and ends at the other end, giving birth to the Collegiate Church.

If we stay at the Juan II hotel we will have privileged views of all this.

2. Be amazed at the Collegiate Church

The

is the most unique and attractive building in Toro.

It was very difficult to build it due to the need to carry the stones from distant quarries, but at that time (12th and 13th centuries) Toro competed with

were determined to build a temple like the one in the capital.

In fact, it was like that: they built it following the design of the Zamoran cathedral.

If there is something that should not be missed in this Collegiate Church, it is the north portal, as it is one of the few examples of

that have survived to this day practically intact and with the original polychrome.

Collegiate Church of Santa María La Mayor de Toro.

The reason is that it ended up being covered over to build an adjoining church, attached to the façade, which made it possible to preserve both the

and the pigments that give it colour.

Because that's what cathedrals used to look like, with all kinds of colors.

We are not accustomed to seeing them this way, of course, and standing in front of this

illuminated by the filtered light of the enormous adjoining alabaster window, we were as surprised as stupefied.

3. Enter the Pagos del Rey Wine Museum

The best place to start learning about the history of wine in Toro is the Pagos del Rey Wine Museum.

It is in

in the production halls of the old Bodega Bajoz.

The tour begins outside, where, among other things, we can see a

with all the types of grapes that are grown in the territory.

But the fascinating thing is inside, in the rooms where the

have been transformed almost into an art gallery and in which, with the technique of three-dimensional

, we can see how the grapes ferment or how they were unraveled.

Interior of the Pagos del Rey Wine Museum.

The interactive screens intermingle with old pruning shears, baskets,

and wineskins, in rooms full of color.

The tour then takes us through the history of Toro and we discover dozens of anecdotes such as one related to the Collegiate Church: they say that it was possible to finish building it thanks to the wine... How is this?

Well, at that time no taxes were paid on wine but the king granted a

to charge a fee for the leaf of the vine... The shepherds used to take the sheep to the vineyards once the harvest was over

and, thus, with the

if the vineyards belonged to the church, the church would collect money for allowing it.

4. Visit wineries

Wine tourism is not only visiting wineries but these are a fundamental part of it, of course.

And on the

there is something for everyone.

We can start in the city, visiting an underground one, like Bodegas Valdigal.

As in many towns with a winemaking tradition, Toro's subsoil is pierced by

.

This has been recovered a few years ago and its owners offer guided tours that end in a patio tasting the wine they make.

There are also large, modern wineries like Monte La Reina, which plays with architecture and, again, with

.

It is a winery clearly designed for wine tourism and events.

Play of lights in the Monte La Reina winery.

The castle that you will see next to the facilities, by the way, is an accommodation built precisely for this.

And then we also find other wineries such as Elías Mora.

It is in the

and bears the name of the former farmer from whom the winemaker Victoria Benavides bought the vineyard.

A

that becomes the absolute protagonist of a visit that is completed with an excellent tasting of wines, oil and chocolate, in a glass enclosure surrounded by vines.

5. Delight the palate

Also in the gastronomic chapter there is variety in the Toro Wine Route.

We can't help but stop by

a tavern that has passed from generation to generation and whose current culinary proposal is one of the most attractive in the city, argued, modernized and without emptiness.

You have to try (among other options) the marinated sardine toast with crispy ham and glass bread, the

and the

(cheese and pistachio are top).

In addition, here they offer high-end wines from the area by the glass, something very attractive for both the palate and the pocket.

Doña Negra is another point that does not disappoint in Toro.

Bull ink ice cream from the Doña Negra restaurant.

The name of this restaurant, housed in a former palace, refers to the nickname that knew the

, chef and owner of the premises, in his native Argentina.

The country he takes part of the inspiration and mixing with local and Spanish tradition to create a

perfect to combine with the wine of Toro.

And in Morales de Toro is

understated but attractive as few.

It was a grain warehouse that belonged to the church.

In fact, here they are paid tithes and perquisites.

Eventually he went to

a vintner who has now transformed this place into a restaurant where everything revolves around wine.

6. Sleep with views of the vineyards

A hotel with a winery or a winery with a hotel.

It matters little if it is one or the other, the fact is that the Valbusenda hotel represents the icing on the cake of any wine tourism getaway along the Toro Wine Route.

This five-star hotel is a wine complex located at the bottom of a hill, in the Duero valley and

where it seems that time passes more slowly and more relaxed.

Room with views of the Valbusenda hotel vineyard.

We can approach the wines in different ways: in the winery, with the guided tour and

in Nube, his design restaurant with a culinary proposal without fanfare, balanced and full of flavour;

or in its spa, where

are offered with products such as grape extract tonic lotions, clays with wine polyphenols, grape creams, exfoliating soaps with seeds...

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