Marchesi Antinori wine heist: overview
- Marchesi Antinori has lost 30,000 bottles worth around €5m in Italy’s biggest reported wine theft
- Masked thieves allegedly disabled security systems and stole premium wines using company forklifts
- CEO Renzo Cotarella believes Tuscany’s camera network could help track the stolen stock
- The company has warned buyers globally to avoid unofficial sales channels
- The theft follows other high-value wine robberies, raising security concerns across Italy’s wine sector
Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy’s largest family-owned wine producers, has reported the theft of 30,000 bottles from its storage facility in Tuscany. The incident reportedly took place on Saturday, October 3 as the company prepared an international shipment.
At least seven masked men are believed to have disabled the site’s security systems before using company forklifts to load two trucks with bottles of Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso. The wines typically retail for between €150 and €500 per bottle, with the stolen stock estimated to be worth €5m.
Renzo Cotarella, chief executive of Marchesi Antinori, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the theft was the largest of its kind in Italy.
Cotarella expressed hope that road surveillance footage across Tuscany could help authorities trace the vehicles and recover the stolen wine. “Two trucks full of merchandise can’t just disappear into thin air,” he told the newspaper, pointing to the region’s extensive camera network.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Cotarella questioned how the stolen bottles could be sold internationally without attracting attention. The company believes the selection of wines suggests the perpetrators had specialist knowledge of the products and their value.
Marchesi Antinori has warned customers internationally to be cautious of offers made outside official sales channels. The company’s advice comes amid concerns that the stolen bottles could enter the secondary market. Industry experts suggest they may be destined for collectors or restaurants, although a sudden influx of rare wines could raise suspicions. Purchasing stolen goods is a criminal offence in Italy.
The incident follows another significant theft in the country’s wine sector. In mid-September, 3,000 bottles of Barolo Sorì Ginestra, valued at an estimated €300,000-€400,000, were reportedly stolen from the Conterno Fantino estate in Monforte d’Alba, Piedmont. Italian media have also reported a 2017 theft in Cervia involving 2,000 bottles valued at €750,000, previously considered the country’s largest wine heist.
Founded in Florence in 1385, Marchesi Antinori is run by the 26th generation of the family and exports to 170 countries. The company reportedly did not have insurance cover sufficient to compensate for a loss of this scale, as a theft of this magnitude had not been anticipated.
The theft was discovered on Monday morning when staff arrived at the facility. No arrests have been reported as of yet.
