Those with a full star () may be considered the most important.

This is Spain's premier red grape variety, and is also known as Cencibel in southern Spain, and Tinto Fino, Tinta del País and Tinta de Toro in Castilla-León, in central Spain. It makes light, fruity young (joven) wines as well as the classic , spicy oak-aged wines of Rioja.

This is a low-yield grape that was almost dying out until Rioja won the DOCa. It adds tremendous finesse and ageing capability (ie tannins) to a blend, and can produce that final polish which great gran reservas really need.

Possibly Spain's most widely planted red grape and a great blender, although the very finest wines made from Garnacha come from Priorato. This grape variety is also popular in Navarra and most of the rest of northern Spain. In southern France it is known as Grenache.

A variety that produces robust, well-balanced wines. Cariñena is grown most importantly in Rioja, where it is known as Mazuelo. It is the grape which adds colour and body to the Rioja 'mix', and is used in most traditionally-made Rioja wines to counterbalance the lightness of Garnacha. Strangely enough it plays only a small part in the DO wine of its native region of Cariñena in Aragón.

A variety native to the Fermoselle area of Zamora (Castilla-León) where it is widely planted. When well made it gives local vinos de la tierra plenty of pleasant, easy-drinking fruit. This could be a grape to watch.

A grape with good colouring properties, Bobal yields good, beefy rosado wines and warm reds. Found mainly in the Levant (south-east) area of Spain.

A grape that is very similar to Cabernet Franc. It blends with Garnacha Tintorera and has shown the capacity for ageing, particularly in Bierzo.

Also called Alicante. One of the few grapes that has coloured juice, it is used in blends to provide colour and weight (particularly with Mencía in Bierzo), but so far it does not appear in any wines of quality.

A high-yielding, easy-ripening grape which produces some excellent, high-quality wines in new installations, especially in Murcia, with quality wine areas such as Yecla, Bullas and Jumilla.

This is a rather obscure grape variety found only in the Somontano DO. It makes good, fruity, early-maturing red joven wines and is good for blending with imported grapes which flourish in this area.

This is mainly a French grape variety, but it is becoming more popular in the Penedès and Somontano wine regions.

This is a recent addition to Spanish wines, and is mainly used in the Priorato area.

This grape, originally from Bordeaux, is now universal, especially in conjunction with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is mainly prevalent in Catalonia, Navarra and La Mancha.

This is one of the main French grapes and it has settled very well into the soil of Spain, although it does need a great deal of water.

This grape is not very common in Spain, but is sometimes used in conjunction with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is mainly prevalent in the Penedès and Pla de Bages regions of Catalonia.

Native of Galicia, it is the most important grape of the Rías Baixas DO and has experienced a spectacular boom in recent years. At their best , wines made from Albariño have lovely, peachy fruit on the palate, which is rich without being sweet.

This is the most abundant grape in Spain. Grown mainly in La Mancha, it is a grape that creates wines of no more than everyday quality.

The principal variety of Rueda , this is the grape that has waited 1,000 years for technology to catch up with it. This best wines with this grape have enormous, crisp, mouthwatering fruit, tremendous aromatics and a bone-dry finish. Look out especially for Rueda Superior.

This grape is rich and sweet and the basis of Spain's best-value vinos de licor (sweet whites), as well as many of the sweeter wines of Andalucía. A good Moscatel de Valencia must surely be the best sweet wine, penny for penny, anywhere in Europe.

Also called Viura, it is cultivated all over northern Spain and in parts further south where areas are licensed to make Cava. In Catalonia, it is blended with Xarel-lo and Parellada to make Spain's best sparkling wines. For still wines, Macabeo is the main grape of Rioja and Navarra.

This is the undisputed grape of Jerez, where it is also known as Listán Blanco.

One of the mainstays of Cava, this variety is also planted throughout Catalonia for use in the production of everyday white wines. Single-variety Parellada wines tend to be pleasant, light, easy-drinking everyday whites meant for immediate consumption.

This is the great grape of Montilla and elsewhere in Andalucía, where its rich, sweet juice is turned into fabulous dessert wines.

This grape provides the foundation, weight, power and alcohol which underpin everything Cava is about. It is also known as Pansà Blanca in Alella.

A Galician grape of good quality which yields highly aromatic wines. Loureira is found alongside the white grape Treixadura and sometimes in blends with Albariño.

A high-quality aromatic grape, which is a native of Galicia. Its best wines show the kind of ripe, rich (though not sweet), crisp, almost peachy fruit exhibited by Alabariño.

Originally from Greece, this grape variety produces highly aromatic and individualistic wines. It is found especially in Valencia, Zamora and the Canary Islands, where it still produces a sweet, semi-fortified wine which used to be known as Canary sack.

A grape planted in Valencia, Merseguera is the white-wine mainstay of the Levant. Its main role is in the production of the everyday white wines that are destined for the supermarkets of Europe.

Originally from France this grape is now grown all over the world. Its main aromas are peach and melon, with a touch of honey.

Alsace is the well-known region of Gewürztraminer, although it is also grown in Germany. In Spain it is mainly grown in Penedès and Somontano ; it performs best in these cooler climates, so it can retain the little acidity that it does have. It has a distinctive bouquet of lychees and spice, and, although dry wines are the norm, many seem so rich, they give the impression of sweetness.

This French grape variety has adapted very well to the dry climate of Rueda. It has a piercing aroma of cut grass, nettles and gooseberries.