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A winegrower from the southern French department of Aude has been sentenced to a fine of 25,000 euros for fraud by the Carcassonne Criminal Court. His winery must pay a further fine of 50,000 euros. He is accused of importing 48 tankers of Spanish bulk wine with his company and selling them in northern France as IGP Aude. According to the regional newspaper L'Indépendant, the case dates back to 2016, when customs and fraud officials raided a winery in Limoux following tips from local winegrowers.
The investigation revealed that almost 1.3 million litres of Spanish wine had been bottled and labelled as French IGP wine. The company is said to have made a profit of around 420,000 euros. The 60-year-old owner of the winery claimed in court that he did not know what was going on. He had only hired an assistant in 2017.
The lawyer for the French National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO) said he was "surprised that the defendant said he knew nothing. After all, he has been working with major distribution channels for 30 years. This is not only an attack on the entire wine industry, but also on consumers."
At the end of the trial, the winery was acquitted of the charge of deception, but found guilty on the other counts. The four regional winegrowers' associations are to receive compensation totalling 1,000 to 2,500 euros. The INAO institute had demanded fines totalling 150,000 euros, while the two regional winegrowers' associations, the Aude Winegrowers' Association and the IGP Aude Association, had each demanded 20,000 euros.
(ru / Drinks Business)