Ribera del Guadiana is Extremadura’s only Denominación de Origen for wines. Established in 1999, the appellation takes its name from the river that snakes its way westward through the region’s varied landscape. Comprising six sub-zones - of which Tierra de Barros is the largest and most productive, Ribera del Guadiana enjoys a continental climate of warm, dry summers and much cooler conditions in winter. The quality of wines here has improved dramatically since the area was granted DO status, shedding its previous reputation as a bulk producer. Wines are permitted from a large number of native and international grapes with Tempranillo the chief red and Cayetana, the principal white.
