The man accused of blackmailing Domaine de la Romanee-Conti has been found dead in his prison cell.

He was arrested earlier this year along with his son after plotting to extort money from the premium wine producer by threatening to poison the vines.

The pair had demanded a ransom of €1 million (£0.83 million) from Aubert de Villaine, the owner of Romanee-Conti, but were apprehended by police in a sting operation before any money changed hands.

"We first received a series of anonymous letters in January, accompanied by a detailed map of our vineyard, with a section of vines marked out," Mr de Villaine told decanter.com in May.

The father has now been found hanged in his prison cell, the news provider reports, while his son is due to stand trial later this year.

It is believed that he had studied wine-growing for two years at an agricultural college in Beaune and had a criminal record for theft.