In La Axarquía and Manilva, the Alexandria muscatel, fat muscatel, or Malaga muscatel grapes are grown. These are used to produce the raisins included in this Denomination of Origin.

The art of drying grapes has been practised since early times in the province of Malaga, which gave rise to an important industry. The production technique begins with the harvesting of the bunches. Then they are set out in the sun on the classic drying trellises or 'paseros' (artificial dryers are forbidden), in well ventilated areas. They are presented individually and in bunches, and in both cases they must be whole, well formed and sufficiently developed, uniformly dark red in colour, with a wrinkled, fleshy texture and seeds. The flavour must be sweet, intense and lasting. They have multiple uses in gastronomy. They are irreplaceable in Arabic cooking and they are actually ingredients in many recipes from many countries.