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Alicante is located in the Valencia administrative region in eastern Spain. It is situated in the south-eastern corner of the country, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Alicante is also the name of the province south of Valencia city, and along with the designation, derives its name from the historic port city of Alicante.

When the wine region received DO status in 1957, the Consejo Regulador permitted just four grapes. Monastrell (Mourvèdre) is still the most dominant wine grape variety. Alicante Bouschet, Bobal and Moscatel de Alejandria were the others. Since then, other red grape varieties have been authorized and are showing promise, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Garnacha.

Alicante Bouchet is a crossing of Petit Bouschet and Grenache created in France in 1866 by Henri Bouchet. It has a bewildering array of synonyms with potential for confusion, such as Garnacha Tintorera. Despite its name, it is now most heavily grown in the Alentejo region of Portugal.

Other white grape varieties grown here include Planta Fina, Merseguera and Macabeo. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are the most recent white varieties to be permitted.

Alicante's traditional prize is Fondillon, a sweet wine dating back to the 1600s, which can be compared to the Pedro-Ximénez wines from Montilla-Moriles. Fondillon is made from the best overripe Monastrell grapes, which are unfortified and naturally sweet. With a solera maturation of 10 years, these wines attain great complexity and depth of flavors.

The region's reputation as a mass producer from vineyards with high yields is slowly changing. As more elegant and fresh wines (particularly red blends) and promising red varietal wines emerge from entrepreneurial winemakers, the pressure on other producers to modernize increases, as do quality and respect.

Alicante can be divided into two separate and separated zones. The coastal area between the towns of Denia and Calpe is known as La Marina, while the larger, more-inland section between the towns of Villena and Pinoso is called Vinalopo. La Marina has a Mediterranean climate, with very hot summers.

This is perfect for the Moscatel grape, which dominates production here. It achieves a high must weight in these warm conditions and is used for the region's traditional dessert and fortified wines. The most famous of these are labeled 'Moscatel de Alicante.'

The Vinalopo heartland, which follows the river of the same name, borders the Yecla region of Murcia. Here, the climate becomes continental and dry, with only 11.8 inches (300mm) of rain a year on average. Summers are hot, with temperatures often exceeding 95°F (35°C). Monastrell thrives in these conditions and is the most widely planted variety. Apart from producing red wines, Monastrell also goes into the region's popular rosé (rosado) styles.

Alicante has a long history of winemaking. By the 16th Century, its wine was already sought after locally and abroad, particularly in England, Scotland, Holland and Sweden. It was often used to add color and grunt to other wines. To protect the local industry, a ban was placed on all wine imports and restrictions were placed on exports (the wine could be shipped only through the port of Alicante). This generated jobs and wealth and the number of vines proliferated throughout the region. A so-called 'Golden Age' followed, and demand for Alicante's table and dessert wines soared.

There are many references to Alicante wine in literature. It features in Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Montecristo, for example. It is also said that the only thing King Louis XIV of France would consume on his death bed in 1715 was Alicante wine with some cake soaked in it.