CNN —Six people have been arrested as part of an investigation into a wine fraud ring that allegedly sold fake French wine for up to €15,000 ($16,300) per bottle. Police in Italy searched 14 properties and seized large amounts of wine, wine bottles, counterfeit stickers from top French vineyards and machines used to recap bottles, according to a statement from European law enforcement agency Europol, published Tuesday. “The surge in demand for fine wine in the 21st century… has motivated fraudsters,” George told CNN. “Better training and better knowledge of what bottles of fine wine – and especially old bottles of fine wine – really look like would be useful,” said George. Bolgheri Sassicaia red wine comes from an area on the coast of Tuscany and has become one of Italy’s best-known fine wines since it appeared on the market in the 1970s.

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Persons: ” Europol, Europol, Prosecutors, Stuart George, ” George, ” Fraudsters, ”, George, “, Petrus, Finanza Organizations: CNN, Police, Russian, French Gendarmerie, Swiss Federal Police, Arden Fine Wines, Reuters, Guardia Locations: Italy, Italian, Russian, French, Dijon, London, Tuscany, Sicily, Milan, Bulgaria