Ribera del Guadiana

The PDO Ribera del Guadiana is present in two provinces of Extremadura; in the province of Cáceres, it includes the areas of Montánchez, Trujillo and Cañamero.

There are 30 different grape varieties in the PDO. The most important and well known are the Spanish varieties Tempranillo and Macabeo, as well as the local varieties Pardina and Cayetana. The red varieties play a fundamental role in the production of high-quality wines.

In the province of Cáceres, the vines are grown on terraces and are not very widespread, except in some areas of Montánchez.

The grapes are harvested by hand, without damaging the bunches, only selecting those that meet the requirements for acceptance at the winery.

The PDO Ribera del Guadiana covers three kinds of wines: Joven, Crianza and Reserva, classified according to the time they have spent ageing, produced as whites, rosés and reds. The PDO was created in 1999 and includes 28,200 hectares, around 55 wineries and 2,950 vine growers.

Extremadura is large, and so is the territory covered by the PDO Ribera del Guadiana. However, the six Extremaduran grape-producing sub-areas are covered by just one PDO. It does not stipulate any criteria to standardise the wines; rather, it controls the natural elements that make it possible to achieve a suitable level of quality in the products. The PDO includes disperse areas that are connected to one another through vine-growing ties (related to variety, cultivation method), winemaking ties (production processes, ageing methods, etc.) or through the name of the product on the market.

You can learn about its wineries, vineyards and wines on the Ribera del Guadiana Wine Route, part of the Wine Routes of Spain Products Club.