9,000 bottles of fake Moët seized in Italy

Italian police have seized over 9,000 bottles of fake Moët & Chandon Champagne from a shed in the countryside near Padua in northern Italy.

As reported by The Guardian, the Guardia di Finanza estimated that the stash of fake fizz made from sparkling table wine was worth around €350,000 (£266,534).

Police also found 40,000 fabricated Moët & Chandon labels in the shed, where eight people with “long criminal records” were working on the counterfeits.

The Guardia di Finanza described the discovery as “one of the most significant seizures of contraband Champagne in Europe”.

The seizure happened late last year but was announced on Monday. Suspicions were raised when police noticed the bottles didn’t have serial numbers on them.

After conducting home searches, the police unearthed documents linked to the fake fizz. They are currently hunting for the supplier of the sparkling wine.

While Moët’s owners, LVMH, has had to deal with counterfeiters peddling fake Louis Vuitton handbags, this is the largest attempted fakery of one of its Champagne brands.

According to the Guardia di Finanza, the 9,000 seized bottles of sparkling wine will be donated to “associations” working in the Veneto; Prosecco’s heartland.

A spokesperson from Moët confirmed that the Champagne house is working with the Italian authorities and is prepared to prosecute the perpetrators.