Literally meaning the Land Behind the Mountains, Tras-os-Montes is a mysterious and distant land, even to the Portuguese themselves. Cut off and isolated from the rest of the country for centuries, it was largely free to develop its own idiosyncratic customs, dialects and beliefs. Certain areas, such as Mirandela, even have their own unique language. Tras-os-Montes is a Vinho Regional from the northeast of Portugal. Wine is an important commodity in the area, which includes the northern half of the port wine region. The high vineyards here, to the north of the Douro Valley, also supply wines from Mateus Rose.