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One of the largest wine-producing towns in Murcia, Jumilla spills down a hillside, overlooked by a 15th-century castle. The town has been producing wine since Roman times. The local bodegas make a robust red from monastrell and tempranillo grapes.

Yecla is the prettiest of all the wine towns in the Costa Blanca, with a smattering of historic churches and buildings. It’s best known for its red wines, which are generally light and fruity. Many bodegas offer tastings and tours.

This medieval village, still guarded by the remnants of a battered castle, sits in a lush valley with endless snaking rows of vines. Wine has been produced here since Roman times; you can learn about its history at the local Museo del Vino. Good for rosés and red table wines.

Abanilla is a small, sunny agricultural town known for its palm groves. Although tucked just inside the boundary of Murcia province, it produces much of its wine under the Alicante D.O. – robust reds and some whites, usually drunk young and ideally suited to the earthy local cuisine.

A cheerful old town dotted with historic monuments, Monóvar is one of the biggest wine-producing towns in the Alicante region. At the many bodegas you can pick up some potent local red, a fresh rosé, or the celebrated El Fondillón, a sweet dessert wine which takes 20 years to mature.

This small agricultural village is well known for its hearty traditional cuisine, particularly cured sausages. The local wine, a strong, earthy red produced under the D.O. of Alicante, is perfect with regional dishes.

Blink and you’ll miss these two tiny hamlets in the middle of a vast plain with vines stretching in every direction. Hondón de las Nieves and Hondón de los Frailes are just off the Monóvar–Jumilla road. Their table wines are available from the large bodegas which line the road.

Sitting peacefully on a low hill in a broad, vine-covered plain, El Pinós is an affluent little town with a rambling old centre curling around a pretty clock tower. It made its fortune from salt and cured sausages, but it is also an important wine-producing town. Try the vigorous young reds at one of many bodegas.

The smart, upmarket resort of Teulada has long been famous for its moscatel grapes, grown along the sunny hillsides and sold in markets and at roadside stalls. They are used to make its delicious and refreshing sweet white mistela wine, which you will find at countless local bodegas.

Dominated by its striking 19th-century church, the formerly sleepy village of Xaló is now surrounded by endless villas and holiday home developments. These days, tourism is its biggest source of income, but some traditions, including wine-production, have continued. There are several bodegas, with reds, whites, rosés and a sweet white mistela wine.