Thieves stole approximately 30,000 bottles of some of Italy's most expensive and sought-after wines, worth an estimated 5 million euros, from a winery in Tuscany. According to the producer, Marchesi Antinori, it was the largest wine theft ever recorded in the country.
The heist took place overnight Saturday into Sunday at the company's facility near Cortona. According to company CEO Renzo Cotarella, at least seven thieves were involved in the operation. They disabled the alarm system and security cameras, arrived at the site with two large trucks and used the winery's own forklifts to load the bottles.
Red wine bottles (illustrative)
(Photo: AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The theft was discovered last Monday, but the company waited until Friday to make it public to avoid compromising the investigation. The stolen bottles included some of the world's most sought-after Italian wines, including Guado al Tasso, Solaia, Tignanello. All the stolen bottles were from the 2023 vintage and typically sell for between 150 and 500 euros each. Cotarella noted that 2023 was an exceptional vintage, potentially increasing the bottles' value even further in the future.
"This was undoubtedly a well-prepared gang," Cotarella said. He suggested that the same group may have targeted other wineries in Italy in recent months. "A theft of this scale and value has never occurred in Italy."
Antinori is one of Italy's oldest and best-known winemaking families. Founded in 1385, the company is now run by the family's 26th generation. Following the theft, the company began warning customers and distributors worldwide to be wary of offers to sell its wines through unofficial channels.
Police are investigating how the thieves intend to sell the stolen wine and are examining security camera footage and other evidence. Cotarella said it would be difficult to conceal two truckloads of wine without attracting attention, leading him to believe that at least some of the bottles could be recovered.
The latest heist far exceeds previous wine thefts in Italy. In 2017, for example, approximately 2,000 bottles of rare wine worth about 750,000 euros were stolen from a warehouse near the resort town of Cervia on the Adriatic coast.