In a bold operation on Saturday, masked men targeted Marchesi Antinori’s storeroom in Tuscany and stole 30,000 bottles of red wine worth around €5 million.
Staff discovered the breach only on Monday morning as two trucks had already departed. The thieves disabled the facility’s alarms, disabled surveillance cameras and used the company’s forklifts to load the cargo.
The haul included prized vintages such as Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso—bottles that normally sell for €150 to €500 each. The selection suggests the robbers were wine connoisseurs with internal knowledge of the inventory.
Renzo Cotarella, the chief executive, told local media it was “the largest theft of its kind in Italy” and expressed optimism that the trucks might be traced on the heavily surveilled Tuscan roads.
He added that the wine’s value makes it unlikely to disappear without trace, and authorities are now searching for footage beyond the winery that could link the stolen cargo to a buyer.
Marchesi Antinori, founded in 1385, exports to 170 countries and had last year’s revenue at €263 million. The theft comes amid a spate of wine‑theft incidents across Italy, including cases in Piedmont that involved hundreds of thousands of euros worth of bottles.
The company has not named any suspects, and authorities have not made any arrests to date. Investigators are urging the public to report any information that could help recover the missing wine.
