Articles and Reviews

Pulpito Toro 2018

Posted by: Andy Kelly

Date: 14-12-2019

So after reading the small blurb that indicated it pairs well with fajitas (enchiladas were on my menu for that evening), I thought “sod it” and picked up the 2018 vintage, a year younger than the one Ned rates in his book...

What Ned said:

"Pleasingly abrasive and ripe Tempranillo from Toro has the region's hallmark black-pepper savours and substance; ideal match for assertive menus; 13.5% alcohol. In Spain a pulpito is a baby octopus, as depicted in the label illustration. Toro is a high altitude wine zone east of Zamora, very far from the sea, but where famed local dishes include pulpa a la sanabresa".

Ned gave this a solid 8 but I’m not so sure…

I chose this wine after an arduous search in Tesco Extra on Park Road, Liverpool. I’d picked up Ned’s latest book, his Best Wines in the Supermarket 2020 and set out with five wines on my wishlist. Tesco had none of them.

So, after reading the small blurb that indicated it pairs well with fajitas (enchiladas were on my menu for that evening), I thought “sod it” and picked up the 2018 vintage, a year younger than the one Ned rates in his book.

The best thing I can say about this wine is that it does go well with spicy food as I enjoyed it with my enchiladas but beyond that I can’t really say much else.

It’s a lovely dark ruby colour in the glass and the nose started off floral but mellowed out to reveal sour cherries. On the palate the pepperiness is there but I wouldn’t describe it as abrasive. In fact, the pepperiness gave way to notes of cherries and whilst the mouthfeel was good (it felt juicy in the mouth), the finish wasn’t all that memorable. I found myself trying to describe the wine as I went through each glass but all I could come up with was that it was decent table wine.

The 2017 was advertised as £11 in Ned’s book and I picked up the 2018 for £8 down from £10. Even then it didn’t feel like value for money though. It just lacked character and wasn’t memorable enough for me. Ned gave it an 8 and for me it gets a 5. Tesco’s Spanish wine is well represented in Ned’s book so I’d stick to the excellent Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva for 50p more.