Ribera del Guadiana is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the region of

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). It extends over two provinces, Cáceres in the north and

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The population ...

in the south. It takes its name from the River

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the e ...

, which flows through the region from east to west.

History

The region was officially created in 1999 by combining the six sub-zones that up till then had produced Vino de la Tierra, a lower quality of wine on the Spanish quality scale.

Sub-zones

The DOP is divided into 6 sub-zones, of which Tierra de Barros is the largest, comprising 80% of the vines.

Tierra de Barros

The

Tierra de Barros Tierra de Barros is a comarca in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. Its capital and administrative center is Almendralejo. The comarca contains 15 municipalities and 74,872 inhabitants (INE 2008). Economy Tierra de Barros is a wine growi ...

sub-zone covers 36 municipalities. The soil is clayey with very good moisture retention properties and has a high lime content. The lie of the land is flat which allowed the mechanization of vineyards activities.

Cañamero

The

Cañamero Cañamero is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto ...

sub-zone covers 5 municipalities in the Sierra de Guadalupe range to the east of the province of Cáceres at an elevation of over 800 m above sea level. The vines are planted on slopes on poor soil over a slate stratum.

Montánchez

The

Montánchez Montánchez is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. It is situated at , some 702 metres above sea level. The municipality has an approximate population of just over 2,000. The town sits in the Sierra de Montánc ...

sub-zone covers 27 municipalities to the south of Cáceres. The land comprises hills and valleys, with rich, brown, slightly acidic soil at an elevation of about 625 m above sea level.

Ribera Baja

The Ribera Baja sub-zone to the west covers 11 municipalities and reaches to the Portuguese frontier. The soils are clayey and alluvial at a low elevation of about 250 m above sea level.

Ribera Alta

The Ribera Alta sub-zone to the east covers 38 municipalities at an elevation of about 400 m. The soils are sandy and not very deep.

Matanegra

The Matanegra sub-zone is further to the south covering 8 municipalities. The soils are similar to those in Tierra de Barros, while the climate is cooler due to the higher elevation of over 600 m above sea level.

Climate

Extremadura has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

: hot dry summers when temperatures can reach 40 °C, and cold winters when they can drop to 0 °C. Rainfall varies according to the sub-zone in question, and can be considerable in the mountainous areas, such as Cañamero. The average rainfall is 450 mm/year. The main challenges faced by the grape growers is drought in summer and frosts in spring.

Grapes

The DOP Regulatory Council authorizes the use of 39 different grape varieties, some of which are native to the area and are not grown in the rest of Spain.

Cayetana blanca Cayetana blanca, also known as Cayetana or Jaén, is a white Spanish wine grape. It is grown mainly in the south of Spain, especially in Extremadura and in the Jerez region where it is distilled for use in brandy production. J. Robinson ''Janci ...

is the most widely planted white variety

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...

is the most widely planted red variety. *Red:

Bobal Bobal is a variety of ''Vitis vinifera'', a red grape used in winemaking. It is native to the Utiel-Requena region in Valencia, Spain. The presence of Bobal in Utiel-Requena was documented in the 15th century in "Espill o llibre de les dones” b ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

Graciano Graciano is a Spanish red wine grape that is grown primarily in Rioja. The vine produces a low yield that are normally harvested in late October. The wine produced is characterized by its deep red color, strong aroma and ability to age wel ...

Garnacha Tinta Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditio ...

, Garnacha Tintorera, Jaén Tinto,

Mazuela Mazuela is a municipality and town located in the Burgos (province), province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to a 2008 estimate (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 97 inhabitant ...

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

, Monastrell,

Pinot Noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, c ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

, Tempranillo / Cencibel / Tinto Fino,

Touriga Nacional Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the D ...

, Castelão,

Trincadeira Tinta Amarela or Trincadeira is a red wine grape that is commonly used in Port wine production. The grape is noted for its dark coloring. Its use in the Douro region has been increasing in recent years. The vine is susceptible to rot and perform ...

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

. *White: Alarije, Borba,

Cayetana Blanca Cayetana blanca, also known as Cayetana or Jaén, is a white Spanish wine grape. It is grown mainly in the south of Spain, especially in Extremadura and in the Jerez region where it is distilled for use in brandy production. J. Robinson ''Janci ...

, Cigüente, Pardina (synonym of Cayetana Blanca), Viura / Macabeo,

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

, Chelva / Montúa, Eva / Beba de los Santos,

Malvar Malvar, officially the Municipality of Malvar ( tgl, Bayan ng Malvar), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. The municipality was named after General Miguel Malvar, one of the last Filipino generals to surrend ...

Moscatel de Alejandría Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of ''Vitis vinifera''. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines still in existence.J. Robi ...

Moscatel de Grano Menudo Muscatel ( ) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became pop ...

Parellada Parellada () is a Spanish white grape variety of Catalan origin specially grown in Catalonia, Spain. With Macabeu and Xarel·lo, it is one of the three traditional varieties used to make the sparkling wine Cava, which is primarily produced in Ca ...

, Perruno,

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

Pedro Ximénez Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations) is the name of a white Spanish wine grape variety grown in several Spanish wine regions but most notably in the '' denominación de origen'' (DO) of Montilla-Moriles. Here it is used to ...

Verdejo Verdejo is a variety of wine grape that has long been grown in the Rueda region of Spain. The grape originated in North Africa, and was spread to Rueda in about the 11th Century, possibly by Mozarabs. Verdejo was generally used to make a strongl ...

Antão Vaz Antão Vaz is a native Portuguese white wine grape variety. Genetic testing has shown it to be a cross of the white Cayetana blanca (through which it is a grandchild of Hebén) and the almost unknown red João Domingos, which is thought to be ...

Arinto Arinto or Arinto de Bucelas is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Bucelas, Tejo and Vinho Verde regions. It can produce high acid wines with lemon notes. Synonyms Arinto is also known by the synonyms Arintho, Arintho du Dao, ...

Fernão Pires Fernão Pires is a white Portuguese wine grape grown throughout Portugal, especially in the Tejo and Bairrada, where it is also known as "Maria Gomes". This variety is known to produce wines with a spicy aromatic character,Colombard Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French wine grape variety that is the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc.winepros.com.au. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-François an ...

Xarel·lo Xarel·lo () is a white grape variety of Spanish origin specially grown in Catalonia. It is a cross between Brustiano faux and 'Gibi', a synonym for the Spanish Hebén grape. With Macabeo and Parellada, Xarel·lo is one of the three tradition ...

References

External links

D.O. Ribera del Guadiana official website
{{Spanish wine regions Wine regions of Spain