Thieves stole around 30,000 bottles of 2023 vintage wines worth an estimated 5 million euros ($5.8 million) from Marchesi Antinori's facility near Cortona in Tuscany's Arezzo province, in Italy's largest-ever recorded wine heist, officials said Friday.
The well-prepared gang of at least seven disabled alarms and surveillance cameras on Saturday night, loaded two trucks using company forklifts, and fled. Discovered Monday, the theft was disclosed Friday to avoid interfering with police investigations.
The stolen bottles-retailing between 150 and 500 euros each-include 10,000 bottles of flagship Solaia alongside Tignanello and Guado al Tasso. CEO Renzo Cotarella said the gang might be linked to recent winery attacks across Italy.
Founded in 1385 and family-run for 26 generations, Antinori warned global clients against unofficial sales offers. Italian police and Carabinieri are examining footage, confident of tracing the shipment. The heist eclipses a 2017 robbery near Adriatic resort town Cervia where 2,000 rare bottles worth 750,000 euros were stolen.