There's more to white wine than Chardonnay, more to Spain than Rioja, says Raymond Blake.

The foreign influence continues in Toro where Scotsman Grant Stein founded the winery"E.Piedra" in 1998. As he tells it, his interest in wine dates back to his days as a student in Edinburgh when he tried to grow vines in a gro-bag in his flat. His approach is rather more sophisticated these days- as the gleaming stainless steel tanks and neat rows of expensive oak barrels attest. The new winery was completed in time for the 1999 vintage and while production is predominantly red, a small amount of white wine is made, principally from Verdejo with a little Albillo, Moscatel and Grenache Blanc. The 2004 tank sample was fresh and mouthwatering while the 2003 had the same juiciness allied to a richer character. The 2001 barrel fermented Verdejo was leaden by comparison, with the fruit swamped by the oak.
We finished with a splendid Paredinas 1999 made from 100-year-old, ungrafted Tinta de Toro bush vines. Chewy and rich with a serious grip of tannin and impressive length this was a big but balance mouthful that needed a robustly flavoured meat dish to be seen at its best.

(March 2005. Food and Wine. Raymond Blake)

Tom Franks spent a week in Northwest Spain, visiting wine producers in Castilla y León and Galicia.

The Toro Region

From Rueda, we moved to the Toro region and visited two entirely different bodegas. Firstly, the bodega" E.Piedra", which is owned by a charming couple from Edinburgh and where we tasted eight wines, including an oaked and unoaked Verdejo, a very good Rose 2003 made from Tempranillo and a classy Tempranillo with 10% of Grenache and oak aged for eight months.

(Feb 2005. Retail News Tom Franks)