Masked thieves broke into a warehouse in Cortona, Italy and made off with around 30,000 bottles of wine from the prestigious Marchesi Antinori vineyard worth more than $5 million, in what the company says could rank among the largest wine thefts ever reported.
The thieves disarmed the alarm system to carry out the daring heist, which took place at the weekend, but was only discovered on Monday when workers arrived to prepare the wine for export, Antinori’s CEO Renzo Cotarella told CNN on Friday.
The stolen wines were all from 2023 and include some of the winery’s most sought-after labels that retail for between €150 and €500 ($168 and $561) internationally.
“Solaia, and Guado al Tasso, and Tignanello are the most icon(ic) wines we have,” said Cotarella, describing them as category-defining examples of the famous “Super Tuscan” red wines of the region. Between 60,000 and 70,000 bottles of Solaia are produced each year, and the thieves took around 10,000 bottles.
No arrests have yet been made. Cortona police said they were conducting an extensive manhunt, but would not say whether they believe the two trucks used to steal the wine were still in Italy.
“Given the scale of the theft, both in terms of the number of bottles stolen and their estimated market value, the incident may rank among the largest wine thefts ever reported,” Marchesi Antinori said in a statement. “The investigation by the competent authorities is ongoing, as are the assessments required to determine the precise extent of the theft.”
Cotarella said the company is urging consumers not to purchase these wines from unknown sellers, and to report it if any appear on the market. Because the wine was in the warehouse to be shipped out, it was boxed and packaged, making it easier for the thieves to remove.
The heist follows a string of other wine thefts. Last month 3,000 bottles of Barolo worth around €400,000 were stolen from the Conterno Fantino vineyard in Piedmont. It is unclear if the thefts are connected.
Marchesi Antinori was founded in 1385 and is currently run by the 26th generation of the family. It exports to 170 countries and has annual revenues of around €265 million.
Cotarella said he believes the wine will be found. “Two trucks cannot just disappear. I remain always positive,” he said.
