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The main suspect is a winemaker and broker in the Médoc region near Bordeaux who was buying low-grade wine from other areas including Spain, then bottling it up as more expensive local produce, a statement from Bordeaux prosecutor’s office said.
“Major orders” had been placed for the wine “destined for supermarkets and foreign countries”, the statement added.
In 2016, police busted a Bordeaux vintner who was blending poor-quality wine with high-end Saint-Émilions, Lalande-de-Pomerols and Listrac-Médocs to sell to major supermarkets under prestigious labels.
The owner of several estates, François-Marie Marret, was given a prison sentence and a fine of €8m (£6.9m) after being convicted of bringing in cheap wine at night.
In 2010, 12 French winemakers and dealers were convicted of selling millions of bottles of fake pinot noir to the US firm E&J Gallo.
Before that, in 2006, legendary Beaujolais winemaker Georges Duboeuf was fined more than €30,000 for blending grapes from different vineyards to disguise the poor quality of certain prized vintages.
