Ok, I can dig that, especially with the EU standards and regulations for naming rights, etc. I appreciate the discourse and education, and it seems it was wrong of me to disparage any of the “cheaper” brands as less than or lacking. I will certainly apply the practical knowledge of generally buying cheaper PR in the future.

However I still say that all PR is not created equal, even if it’s all approved and inspected to be above some minimum level of quality. I’d argue there’s still a gradient, in both quality (a cheese expert would be able to tell the subtle differences) and quantity (rarity ie small artisanal families vs larger corporate operations, aging 12 or more months). Both of which drive price differences, hence why some wheels cost hundreds of dollars and others cost thousands. I admit that I’m no PR expert and I’m not saying I could tell the differences, but I simply Can’t fathom that the baseline EU regulatory requirements for making PR are also the limits of those cheese makers capabilities, and there has to be a “good, better, best” within subset, which leads to the aforementioned price differences.

In the end, it’s probably much like wine (or anything else). There’s reasons some bottles are more expensive, and it’s usually a combination of marketing, quality, supply, and retail economics.