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| Document of the year 1370. |
The history of wine starts in Olite with King Theobald I of Navarre (1234-1253), Sancho VII the Strong’s nephew. A romantic, dreamer, poet and troubadour man who came to the throne of the Kingdom from the French Champagne. Theobald promoted the planting of vines in Olite, and thus started its strong link to wine that has lasted until the present time.
The first recorded evidence of the relationship between our surname, Ochoa, with the Navarre wine, dates back to 1370, when the queen Juana, Carlos II’s wife, ordered to pay Ochoa de Ayanz, a wine merchant from Olite, 36 ‘libras’ (pounds) and 20 ‘sueldos’ for 216.5 ‘carapitos’ of wine. (General Archive of Navarre, Comptos, box 26, number 16,4).
Ochoa de Ayanz was an important figure who had the kings´ favour. He was the mayor of Olite during the Reign of Charles II and he stayed at his post with Charles III. Charles III, called The Noble, promoted the construction of the Royal Palace of Olite, starting then the golden century of the village. As a good drinker, he demanded the aging of good wine.
Nowadays, we can find the remains of the Ochoa de Ayanz’s cellar, where we can see his barrels placed upon the stones of the old Roman amphitheatre, situated at the “Cerco de Dentro” in front of the palace.
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