From distillery to royal city: the history of the Belasco family in Olite
At the end of the 1980s, when Navarra was still mainly known for its rosé wines, Juan Ignacio Belasco laid the foundation for a project that would have an impact far beyond the region. In 1992, his company Destilerías La Navarra took over Bodegas Marco Real in Olite — a medieval small town at the foot of the Sonsierra navarra, which once served as the residence of the kings of Navarra. The Palacio Real de Olite, which still stands today, represents the historical status of this location. From the beginning, the winery was built with spacious, technically modern facilities: fermentation capacity for over two million kilos of grapes, and an air-conditioned bottle aging cellar with a capacity of more than one million bottles. In the year 2000, around 200 hectares of the estate's own vineyard area in Navarra were added. Juan Ignacio Belasco quickly activated distribution and brought the wines of Marco Real to national and international markets.
The Belasco family considers itself part of a long viticultural tradition passed down through several generations. Today, the project is led by an oenologist team headed by Kepa Sagastizábal, which drives the further development of the brand with a focus on terroir and style.
Sonsierra navarra: vineyards, cellar, and the credo of selection
Marco Real manages its own vineyards in four parcels of the Sonsierra navarra: Las Leras, Espesuras, La Pared, and Valdeherreros. The climate of Navarra is diverse — Atlantic freshness in the north, continental warmth in the south — and shapes different ripening processes depending on the location. In the cellar, Marco Real relies on temperature-controlled fermentation and subsequent aging in French and American oak barrels, of which the winery keeps 5,000 in stock. The principle behind this is conscious selection: grapes, parcels, vintages, and aging methods are consistently evaluated based on what they actually deliver in the glass. For the top wine Señorío de Andión, this approach is taken to the extreme — it is released exclusively in years when the quality justifies the effort.
Three lines, one credo: pure Navarra from young to complex
The Marco Real range is divided into three clearly defined lines. Homenaje stands for accessible, fruit-forward everyday wines — including the well-known Rosado made from Garnacha, which embodies the typical freshness and color of the Navarrese rosé style. The Marco Real line bundles wines with more depth: whites made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, reds with a Tempranillo base, vinified with an emphasis on texture and length. At the very top is Finca La Pared, where single-varietal wines made from Graciano and Syrah show that Navarra should also be taken seriously as a terroir for age-worthy red wines. The varietal range — indigenous varieties like Garnacha and Tempranillo alongside international varieties — is deliberately chosen: Marco Real actively reads the market and aligns cultivation and aging accordingly. The style remains consistent: fruit-expressive, with solid structure and a clear reference to the Sonsierra navarra as its origin.
