A organized gang comprising at least seven masked individuals broke into the cellar of Marchesi Antinori, a family-owned winery in Cortona, Tuscany, and made off with thousands of bottles of wine valued at €5 million. The theft occurred on Saturday as the company prepared for a major international shipment, though the crime was not discovered until staff arrived for work on Monday morning.
The perpetrators disabled alarm systems and surveillance cameras before using company forklifts to load two trucks with approximately 30,000 bottles from the facility’s 2023 vintage. Among the targeted bottles were highly sought-after selections including Solaia, Guado al Tasso, and Tignanello, along with 3,000 bottles of Barolo Ginestra, some in larger magnum format. The stolen bottles ranged in individual price from €120 to €400.
Renzo Cotarella, chief executive of Marchesi Antinori, characterized the perpetrators as exceptionally well-prepared and noted that such a large-scale theft had never occurred in Italy previously. He expressed confidence that investigators would locate the stolen merchandise, citing the prevalence of surveillance cameras on regional roads. However, the company’s insurance policy does not cover wine theft at such significant values, leaving the organization to absorb the loss.
Investigators suspect the theft may have been connected to other recent winery robberies in Italy, including an incident in Alba in the Piedmont region earlier in the month. Experts suggest that crimes of this magnitude typically involve perpetrators with extensive knowledge of wine and are likely intended for delivery to private collectors, restaurants, or bars. Marchesi Antinori, established in 1385, has advised customers to exercise caution regarding any wine purchases outside official distribution channels.
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