Extremadura

One of the 17 autonomous region s in Spain, located between Portugal (to the west, with the Portuguese region of Alentejo) and the La Mancha region to the east. The two regions of La Mancha and Extremadura are part of the huge inland plateau known as the Meseta. In the south, the region borders on Andalusia, and in the north on Castilia-León. The name translates as „land beyond the Duero" (however, the region must not be confused with the Estremadura region in Portugal, which is located on the West coast of Portugal, north of Lisbon). In the 13th century, Extremadura was the buffer zone, or no man’s land, between the Christian and Moorish sections of Spain. Today it is one of the most fertile regions in Spain, where sheep farming predominates. In addition, quite a lot of wine is made from the Cayetana and Pardina grape varieties. However, these are destined primarily for distilling. The Romans arrived in this region around 2000 years ago, and settled on the banks of the Guadiana river, where they founded the city of Emerita Augusta, known as Mérida today, This city lies in the heart of the (so far only) DO Ribera del Guadiana. The area for regional country wines is known as Extremadura.