Briefing
MEP Esther Herranz (European People’s Party) has pledged, at a meeting with representatives of the Consejo Regulador del Brandy de Jerez her support for raising the profile of the distinctive traditional ageing method for Jerez brandy before the institutions of the European Union. Herranz said she would make it a priority in the European Parliament to press for a legally robust rule on the age labelling of brandy that takes account of the criaderas y soleras system.
According to those involved, the talks on 4 September 2026 were attended by the newly appointed president of the Consejo Regulador del Brandy de Jerez, Ricardo Rebuelta, and its director, César Saldaña. Herranz stressed the cultural and technical uniqueness of the continuous ageing method, which, she said, is only partly reflected in the current Community rules on wine and spirits labelling, resulting in uncertainty over age statements.
The Brandy Producers’ Council is therefore calling for the introduction of the term “estimated average age” as a practical standard that brings centuries-old practice into line with EU control and traceability requirements. Industry representatives stressed that existing internal controls on origin and ageing already ensure a high level of traceability.
The issue concerns not only technical details of labelling, but also the economic interests of businesses based in Andalusia that depend on export markets. The institutions involved said they were now working on specific proposals for the relevant committees in the European Parliament and on a technical dossier setting out the particular features of the Solera method and its documented controls.
The regional classification has been corrected editorially: the matter relates to the production area of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. All offices and roles mentioned here have been checked against current, publicly accessible sources.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).