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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
A glass should also be raised toExtremadurawhen
toasting Spain’s central belt.The region offers proof of
how young the fine wine phenomenon is in much of
Spain. Vines have been cultivated here since Roman
times yet the region didn’t get a DO badge until 1997.
It goes by the name Ribera del Guadiana, an amalgam
of six smaller wine producing areas. At the moment it’s
an experimental scene of new planting and improving
technique.Traditionally the area has made white wines,
but reds – for which it seems more naturally suited –
androsadosare on the up.
La Mancha is the world’s
largest single region
under vines. With 180,000
hectares of grapes it hogs
a remarkable eight per
cent of the world’s
vineyards.
The cork gets screwed
Spain has over 510,000
hectares of cork oak,
that’s roughly a quarter of
the world’s share. Most of
it is in Extremadura and
Andalusia and most of it
is farmed for wine corks.
Typically, the bark is first
harvested when the tree
is about 40 years old and
then subsequently
stripped again every nine
or ten years. The decline
in cork production, as
plastic stoppers become
more prevalent, is
bemoaned by the industry
and conservationists alike
- harvesting the cork oak
maintains an important
habitat for Spanish
wildlife.
