Antinori flags Tuscany wine theft after €5 million warehouse heist

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Antinori Tuscany wine theft

Highlights

Marchesi Antinori reported a warehouse break-in in Cortona last weekend, with 8,000–10,000 bottles of high-value Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso stolen.
The stolen bottles, starting at €150 each with rare vintages fetching thousands, had already been prepared for shipment, enabling efficient removal worth up to €5 million.
Antinori, which exports to 170 countries, warned customers worldwide as Italian police investigate a coordinated theft, reflecting rising risks of large-scale winery heists in Italy.

Warehouse break-in and stolen stock details

As reported by BusinessWorld, citing Reuters, Marchesi Antinori says the theft took place last weekend at its storage facility in Cortona, where surveillance footage shows seven masked men entering the warehouse, disabling alarm systems and loading thousands of cases onto two trucks.

The company says 8,000 to 10,000 bottles of Solaia were taken, along with Tignanello and Guado al Tasso. These labels are among Italy's most sought-after wines, with retail prices starting at about €150 a bottle and the rarest vintages fetching thousands of euros.

Antinori says staff discovered the break-in on Monday morning when they arrived at the warehouse. Italian police are now investigating, while the company says the timing and execution suggest a highly organized group was involved.

Export concerns and wider industry risks

Antinori, founded in 1385 and exporting to 170 countries, has alerted customers around the world to be cautious about offers made outside official sales channels. The company says it still hopes to recover the stolen wine.

A representative for Antinori told Reuters that the theft was made easier because the wines had already been prepared for shipment to foreign distributors, allowing the group to remove a large quantity of high-value stock quickly.

The incident adds to a recent series of wine thefts in Italy, including another case in July at Banfi winery in Montalcino. While such crimes have traditionally involved smaller volumes or a few expensive bottles taken from restaurants, private cellars or during distribution, recent cases are increasingly targeting larger winery inventories.

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