Italy's Largest Wine Heist Sees 30,000 Bottles Stolen

Thieves have stolen approximately 30,000 bottles of premium wine, valued at an estimated 5 million euros ($5.8 million), from a Marchesi Antinori winery in Tuscany. The producer described the incident on Friday as the largest wine theft in Italy's history.

The targeted facility, located near Cortona in the province of Arezzo, was breached by a group of at least seven individuals on a Saturday night. They made off with bottles of highly sought-after wines, including Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso. The theft was discovered on Monday, but the company delayed its public announcement until Friday to avoid compromising the ongoing investigation.

According to Chief Executive Renzo Cotarella, the perpetrators disabled the winery's alarm system and surveillance cameras before arriving with two large trucks. Utilizing the company's forklifts, they loaded the vehicles with wine and departed during the night.

"It is certainly a very well-prepared gang," Cotarella stated, suggesting the possibility that this group may be responsible for other Italian winery thefts in recent months. He emphasized that "a theft of this size and value has never occurred in Italy."

The stolen bottles are all from the 2023 vintage, with individual retail prices typically ranging from 150 euros to 500 euros. The haul included about 10,000 bottles of Solaia, one of Antinori's flagship wines, from what Cotarella described as an exceptional year.

Marchesi Antinori, a company founded in 1385 and managed by the Antinori family for 26 generations, has alerted its global clientele to exercise caution regarding offers outside of official sales channels. "We are informing our clients around the world and asking them to pay attention to any offers outside the official channels," Cotarella said.

Authorities are actively investigating how the stolen wine might be resold. Police and Carabinieri officers are reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence. Cotarella expressed confidence that investigators would be able to trace the shipment, noting that moving two truckloads of wine would be difficult to do without attracting attention.

This incident surpasses previous significant wine thefts in Italy. In 2017, approximately 2,000 bottles of rare wines, valued at 750,000 euros, were stolen from a warehouse near the Adriatic resort town of Cervia.