A Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine producer has been accused of faking top vintages.

The allegations, that Guy Arnaud was violating appellation rules by buying wine from outside the area and putting the Chateauneuf-du-Pape label on the bottles, was made by his daughter, who is currently involved in a dispute over the inheritance of his estate.

Arnaud and his daughter, Carole, have been fighting over an ancestral estate north of Avignon encompassing two prized wine domains.

The dispute began when Mr Arnaud, who owns one of the region's largest vineyards, decided to share out some of his land between his three daughters while still alive.

Each daughter was due to get 17 hectares (42 acres) of vineyards, estimated to be worth up to EUR 500,000 (£440,000 ) per hectare.

Two of the daughters were happy with the arrangement. But the third, Carole Arnaud, decided the inheritance process was taking too long and that she wanted immediate access to her share to be able to cultivate it.

She then contacted the authorities, claiming her father had been faking vintages.

The father-daughter battle, which has been raging for a year and a half, has appalled the reserved local wine making community.

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