Taurus Temperanillo is bold for the bored

Any number of people like their wine to have texture. Usually this means two things. The body (viscosity of the wine) needs to be a bit thick. Also the tannins need to be way, way, WAY back. Usually the wine of choice for such people is a Zinfandel or Zinfandel blend.

In other countries, the producers have produced similar wines from grapes that I never expected to see included in such wines. Moreover, they are typically vinifying the wine a bit drier. If you find yourself preferring wines a touch drier than Zinfandel, you need to start buying wines from outside the USA.

Spain is just beginning to exploit its position in the world as a wine superpower. It has the sunshine, the technology and the vine selection to survive any number of droughts and brushfires. The country is creating and defining new denominations (a.k.a. appellations) regularly. The “newer” wine regions — who have been producing the stuff since Roman times for local consumption — tend to mimic New World styles.

Tempranillo is a grape I associate with medium to light palates. Mind you, I usually buy Rioja Alta Tempranillo. The products of the Duero (Douro) are often more viscous, with a sweeter attack than Rioja.

I bought a bottle of Taurus from the Toro DOC. It’s downstream from the Duero appellation, on the western edge of Spain. Taurus is notably low in apparent acidity, and has a thicker palate that will appeal to a lot of drinkers. Slightly fruity, with some spice, it is a wine that can be classified as “bold” without taking drinkers too far away from the familiar. If you are bit bored with your regular wine, you should try this one out.

Taurus Tempranillo 2013 $25 ****

An inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc next week. Other wines on Twitter.com/drbooze.