Thieves stole 30,000 bottles of premium wine worth around €5 million from Marchesi Antinori, a historic Italian winery in Tuscany. At least seven masked men allegedly disabled security systems and used the company's forklifts to load two trucks with prized Tuscan reds. The theft was discovered on Monday, and no arrests have been reported.
A major wine theft has left one of Italy's most prestigious wineries facing a loss of around €5 million (around Rs 54.24 crores), after thieves reportedly made off with 30,000 bottles of premium Tuscan red wine using two large trucks. The theft targeted Marchesi Antinori, a family-owned wine producer with a history stretching back more than six centuries. According to Italian media reports, the incident took place on Saturday at the company's storage facility in Tuscany, just as staff were preparing to ship a consignment to overseas customers.
At least seven masked men are believed to have carried out the operation, disabling security cameras and alarms before using the winery's own forklifts to load the bottles onto the trucks.
The stolen wines included Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso, three of the producer's prized labels. The theft was discovered on Monday morning when employees arrived at the facility.
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Wines worth up to €500 a bottle
The stolen collection reportedly consisted of bottles that typically sell for between €150 and €500 each (Rs 16,266 and Rs 54,222). The high value and specific selection of wines have raised questions about whether the thieves had detailed knowledge of the winery's stock and security arrangements.
Renzo Cotarella, chief executive of Marchesi Antinori, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he believed Italy had not previously seen a theft of comparable scale and value.
He also expressed hope that investigators could recover at least some of the bottles.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Cotarella questioned how the stolen wines could be sold internationally without attracting attention. He noted that two trucks carrying such a large quantity of merchandise would be difficult to conceal completely.
The extensive network of road surveillance cameras in Tuscany could provide investigators with useful leads, he said.
Six centuries of winemaking history
Founded in 1385, Marchesi Antinori is one of Italy's best-known family-owned wine businesses. The company exports its products to 170 countries and reported revenue of €263 million last year, according to the supplied report.
Its premium wines command high prices, making the stolen consignment valuable but potentially difficult to sell openly in such large quantities.
No arrests had been reported at the time of the reports, and the investigation was continuing.
Italy sees more wine thefts
The incident comes amid reports of other wine thefts in Italy this year. In the northern Piedmont region, separate cases reportedly involved the theft of bottles worth hundreds of thousands of euros.
The latest incident has highlighted the security challenges faced by producers storing valuable wines, particularly when large consignments are awaiting shipment.
