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Two heavyweights in the Spanish wine industry will stand trial in a court in Madrid in December for fraud in the marketing of wines from the DO Valdepeñas (Castilla La Mancha). The indictment accuses the general manager of the wine group Félix Solís and the managing director of Garcia Carrión of marketing wines with the "Crianza", "Reserva" and "Gran Reserva" labels that did not comply with the DO regulations for the length of ageing in oak barrels or in bottles.
Both groups are among the largest companies in the Spanish wine industry: Félix Solís is one of the largest family-owned wine producers in the world. The group owns two large wineries in La Mancha and Valdepenas. Wines, sparkling wines, dealcoholised wines, juices and sangria are produced there. According to the Solís family, it owns 400 hectares of vineyards and works with grape growers on an area of around 4,000 hectares. Garcia Carrión has 14 wine brands that are exported to 150 countries. Around 40,000 winegrowers produce grapes for the group.
The public prosecutor's complaint was admitted in April 2021. It relates to the sale of wines from the DO Valdepeñas (Castilla La Mancha) in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The two bodega managers are being prosecuted for misleading advertising, fraud and false documentation. The certification bodies Sohiscert and Liec Agroalimentaria are also under investigation. The investigation was triggered after doubts arose about the quantities of wine declared by the DO and marketed by the companies.
In the Félix Solís case, the judge has already stated that it is clear that the parties under investigation "marketed red wines under the designation of origin Valdepeñas brand in 2017, 2018 and 2019 under the crianza, reserva and gran reserva labels in quantities far in excess of those declared to the supervisory authority for the designation of origin." Companies in the García Carrión group are also alleged to have marketed red wines with the designation of origin Valdepeñas designation "without complying with the production requirements, either in terms of the minimum ageing period or the time in oak barrels or in the bottle". Among the indications found was "an insufficient number of barrels for the necessary ageing of the marketed wine".
In a statement, Félix Solís said he was "convinced that we can prove the existence of misinterpretations and the omission of essential data in the reports of the investigation unit".
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(uka)