Ochoa

Established in 1843, Bodegas Ochoa from Navarra had its first international breakthrough in 1882, when the company, then led by Nicolás Ochoa, won a Gold Medal in Bordeaux, the most prestigious award of the epoch. Only fifteen years later, though, the phylloxera ravaged all of Europe's vineyards, including those in Navarra. Not inclined to wound-licking, Nicolás Ochoa soon replanted all of his vineyards with international varieties, grafting them onto American root stock to prevent the parasite from harming them again. From that moment onward, and as a result of successive acquisitions, the estate grew considerably larger as generations passed. Nowadays, the winery has 140 hectares of vineyards, situated in some of Navarra's finest terroirs.

The Bodegas Ochoa winery is currently run by the seventh generation of the family. Beatriz Ochoa is the CEO of the company, and her sister Adriana Ochoa is the technical director and head of oenology. They took over the baton from their father, Mr. Javier Ochoa, in 2015.

The vineyards of Ochoa winery are split into seven parcels. The red varieties are Grenache, Tempranillo, Graciano and Merlot. The white varieties are Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Viura, Viognier and Chardonnay. The company produces a wide portfolio of wines, from young varietals to a Gran Reserva blend. A particularly successful example is the sweet wine Ochoa Moscatel, made from some old vines of Moscatel de Grano Menudo which until then had been looked down on, and were about to be pulled up. Nowadays, Ochoa Moscatel is one of Spain's best sweet white wines. 

• Year of foundation: 1843
• Address: C. Miranda de Arga, 35
• City: Olite
• Province: Navarra
• Zip code: 31390
• Country: Spain
• Phone number: 34 948 740 006
• www.bodegasochoa.com
• Guided visits? Yes
• Wine tourism services? No