Thieves have stolen 30,000 bottles of wine worth an estimated €5 million from a prestigious Italian winery.
Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy’s largest family-owned wine producers, confirmed that the theft took place on Saturday at a warehouse in Tuscany, as the company was preparing to ship an order to international customers.
According to reports, at least seven masked individuals allegedly disabled the alarms, switched off security cameras and used company equipment to load the bottles onto two large trucks. Among the stolen wines were the renowned Tuscan labels Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso.
The company’s CEO, Renzo Cotarella, told Corriere della Sera that it was the largest theft of its kind ever recorded in Italy.
“Such a theft, on this scale and of this value, has never happened before in Italy,” he said.
Cotarella expressed hope that authorities would be able to trace the stolen wines.
“Two trucks loaded with goods cannot simply disappear without a trace. Tuscany’s roads are full of cameras. Perhaps, with a little luck, we will manage to recover at least some of the stolen bottles,” he said.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Cotarella added that he was unsure how the perpetrators could sell the wines on international markets without attracting attention.
The company suspects that the selection of bottles indicates the thieves had specialist knowledge of fine wines and may have had access to inside information. The bottles typically sell for between €150 and €500 each.
The theft was discovered on Monday morning, when employees arrived at the warehouse. No arrests have been made so far.
Founded in 1385, Marchesi Antinori exports its wines to 170 countries worldwide. Last year, the company reported revenue of €263 million.
Several other wine thefts have been reported in Italy this year, including two incidents in the northern region of Piedmont, where bottles worth hundreds of thousands of euros were allegedly stolen.
