Hacienda Terra d’Uro is the joint project of three men passionate about wine: Oscar Garrote; Christian Van Zeller, a world-renowned winemaker and one of the big names in the Douro winemaking region in Portugal; and Spanish winemaker and rugby fanatic, Javier “Pipa” Ortega.
Their Terra d’Uro project is centred around the Tinta de Toro vines planted in an historic terroir known as Pago Bardales at about 750 meters above sea level. The vines are planted in three separate plots: Finca la Rana, Finca el Romeral and La Coscojosa. Both Romeral and Coscojosa are planted with pre-phylloxera vines which were planted 144 years ago and 90 years ago respectively.
The winemaking trio take an organic approach, with most vineyard tasks like pruning or hoeing around the vines carried out manually, and minimal treatments with sulfur or powdered stinging nettle. Harvests are carried out manually using small, 10kg boxes to collect the fruit. On arrival at the bodega, the grapes are destemmed manually, and fermentation takes place in oak barrels. New oak barrels are used for aging which generally lasts between 8 to 14 months. To respect and preserve the natural qualities of the wines, no filtration or fining techniques are used. The end result are powerful but smooth red wines which showcase all the Tinta de Toro grapes have to offer but complemented with the perfect touch of wood.
