📍 Extremadura

Extremadura is the western plateau of Spain on the Portuguese border. It is a large, thinly populated and hot region through which the Guadiana river flows. The wine district here is called Ribera del Guadiana; it was created as an appellation in 1999 by uniting six subzones that had previously made simple wine. Extremadura belongs to Spanish wine.

The six subzones are Tierra de Barros, Cañamero, Montánchez, Matanegra, Ribera Alta and Ribera Baja. The largest, Tierra de Barros, holds about 80% of the vineyards and spreads over a flat plain with clay soils. Cañamero, by contrast, lies in the Sierra de Guadalupe mountains at over 800 metres.

For whites growers use Cayetana Blanca, Pardina, Beba, Borba Blanca, Alarije and Chelva, local grapes that are barely known outside Extremadura. Among reds the main one is Tempranillo. The wines come out full and sunny, and many whites go into inexpensive everyday wines.

The area of the appellation covers the provinces of Badajoz and Cáceres. The Montánchez subzone lies south of Cáceres and includes 27 municipalities, while Tierra de Barros covers 36. Cañamero covers five municipalities in the east of Cáceres province.