Several outlets have reported that thieves stole 30,000 bottles of wine, worth about 5 million euros, from a cellar near Cortona.
The operation, carried out on October 2, targeted winemaker Marchesi Antinori—a now 26th-generation family business founded in 1385. The masked bandits, who numbered at least seven, apparently had great taste, or curatorial skills, as they nabbed a selection of coveted offerings, all from the 2023 vintage, from the remarkably beautiful winery.
Corriere della Sera confirms that the thieves deactivated the alarm system and disabled cameras. They filled the two large trucks, which they drove over to the Tuscan premises, using the company’s own forklifts. The job took three hours. The gang was clearly incredibly well-prepared—one wonders how they could have the skills to be so methodical yet not realize that, with the attention this story has received, attempts to sell the illegally obtained goods should prove challenging, to say the least.
This Wine Heist Involved Two Trucks, 30,000 Bottles, and the Winery’s Own Equipment
As relayed by Corriere della Sera, Renzo Cotarella, Marchesi Antinori’s longtime CEO, suggests that the culprits behind the egregious crime might have been “the same one that has affected other wineries in Italy in recent months. Certainly, a theft of such magnitude and value has never occurred in Italy.” This indeed appears to be the country’s biggest-ever wine heist.
Speaking to The New York Times, Lorenzo Vivoli, who works in communications for Marchesi Antinori, commented on the thieves’ impeccable timing — the bottles were resting in the warehouse on a Friday, waiting to be exported on Monday. Such shipments only happen twice a year. It certainly seems possible that the revered company itself had fallen victim to infiltration by a rodent of an employee.
Vivoli revealed to the paper, “We do have insurance, but unfortunately it will only pay us one-tenth of the price.” Thus, it’s especially important to support efforts to solve this case for the sake of the fine individuals at Marchesi Antinori. Of course, the police are currently on the job, and it seems hopeful that justice will be served.
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