The Olite-based winery took part alongside Gonzáles Byass and Bodegas Stratvs in a presentation of the different types of sweet wine made in Spain.

Bodegas Ochoa took part yesterday in the “Sweet Wines of Spain” tasting session that brought ‘Enofusión’, the section devoted to wine at the international gastronomy congress ‘Madrid Fusión’, to a close. ‘Enofusión’, which has now seen its second edition, has already become an international point of reference for quality wines.

Sweet wines of all the different varieties produced in Spain were presented at the “Sweet Wines of Spain”: Moscato, Moscatel, Malvasía and Pedro Ximénez. Lola Núñez, from Gonzáles Byass, and Alberto González, from Bodegas Stratvs, also took part alongside Bodegas Ochoa. The session, attended by somewhere near a hundred people, was presented by Fernando Gurucharri, the Chairman of the Spanish Wine Tasters Union (www.uec.es). 

Javier Ochoa, Pilar García Granero (President of the "Consejo Regulador de la  Denominación de Origen Navarra") and Beatriz Ochoa

Javier Ochoa and his daughter Beatriz offered those taking part the tasting notes for their two sweet wines: ‘Vino Dulce de Moscatel’ and ‘Moscato de Ochoa, MdO’. Ochoa's ‘Moscatel’ is one of the most acknowledged and prize-winning sweet wines in the world. It is made from the finest Small-Grain Muscat grapes, selected for their high-sugar content during harvesting. This makes for a sweet wine that stands out for its potential in terms of aroma and a good sugar-acidity balance. It is a fine reflection of the constant endeavours to improve  Bodegas Ochoa that made it the first Spanish winemaker to carry out an R&D project, with the help of CDTI, in 1994. That pioneering project was to produce a sweet white Moscatel wine. Javier Ochoa added that “thanks to our climate, in Spain we have sweet wines of a very high quality, to the standard of the world-known Sauternes, Tokaji or ice wines”.

‘Moscato de Ochoa, MdO’ is made from Petit-Grain Muscat grapes from Finca El Bosque. It is a delicate, low-alcohol, sparkling white wine (5.5%) with fine bubbles; a pleasant, highly aromatic, semi-sweet, low-alcohol drink. Its fine bubbles come from the natural fermentation of the must. It is aimed at new consumer trends and, more specifically, a younger public just starting out in the world of wine. Beatriz Ochoa explained that “at Ochoa, we constantly listen to the consumer and note current consumer trends. Moscato de Ochoa is an example of this trend: low-alcohol content, fresh, aromatic and with an elegant sparkle”.

During the congress, which was held from the 24^th to the 26^th of January, visitors had the chance to taste the wines produced by the Olite winemaker in the ‘Enobar’, an open tasting area. Two of its wines were available there: ‘Rosado de Lágrima’ (the only Navarra rosé at the Enobar) and ‘8 A Mil Gracias’. ‘Rosado de Lágrima’ is the first wine produced at Bodegas Ochoa from the 2011 harvest. It is made from the finest Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes using the traditional saignée method. Pamplona’s Enekorri restaurant also took part in a talk about vegetables and rosés at Madrid Fusion, where it presented its raw borage with clams and crushed iced Ochoa Rosado de Lágrima. ‘8 A Mil Gracias’ is a wine made from 100% Graciano. It is cold macerated and acquires its astonishing deep violet colour after two years in casks. A complex wine with an explosion of aromas in the mouth.