Thieves steal 30,000 bottles of wine in Italy's largest-ever heist
The theft targeted the Marchesi Antinori winery near Cortona, in the province of Arezzo, the company said.
A group of at least seven thieves stole approximately 30,000 bottles of some of Italy's most prized wines, valued at an estimated $5.8 million, from a winery in Tuscany, marking the country's largest wine heist on record. The facility targeted was that of Marchesi Antinori, located near Cortona in the province of Arezzo. The thieves infiltrated the winery on Saturday night, disabling its alarm system and surveillance cameras before loading the wine onto two trucks and fleeing during the night.
Chief Executive Renzo Cotarella described the gang as well-prepared and suggested they may have targeted other wineries in recent months. This theft surpasses previous high-profile wine robberies in Italy; in 2017, 2,000 bottles valued at 750,000 euros were stolen from a neighboring warehouse. The stolen wines included Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso, all from the 2023 vintage.
The company, founded in 1385 and operated by the Antinori family for 26 generations, alerted customers worldwide to be cautious of offers outside official sales channels. Authorities are currently investigating the theft, examining surveillance footage and other evidence. Cotarella remains confident investigators will trace the shipment, given the challenges involved in moving two truckloads of wine without drawing attention.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
