Thieves have stolen approximately 30,000 bottles of premium wine worth an estimated €5 million from a warehouse belonging to Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy's most renowned wine producers. The theft took place last weekend at the company's facility near Cortona in Tuscany. The stolen collection included several sought-after Italian wine labels, making the incident one of the country's largest wine thefts by value. The company disclosed the incident on October 9 after initially keeping details private to avoid disrupting the police investigation.

The operation appears to have been carefully planned, with the thieves reportedly disabling the warehouse's alarm system before entering the premises. They used two large vehicles to transport the bottles and relied on the winery's own forklifts to load the shipment. The theft was discovered on Monday morning when employees arrived at the facility and found that the wine had disappeared. Investigators are examining available surveillance footage and other evidence to establish how the group entered the warehouse and carried out the operation.

The stolen stock included three of the winery's best-known red wines, Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso. The bottles were from the 2023 vintage and were being stored at the facility before being dispatched to international markets. Individual bottles can command prices ranging from approximately €120 to several hundred euros, depending on the label and vintage. Around 10,000 bottles of Solaia were reportedly among the stolen stock, adding to the scale of the financial loss.

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Marchesi Antinori chief executive Renzo Cotarella described the theft as an exceptionally organised operation and suggested that the people involved may have had detailed knowledge of the winery's products and storage arrangements. The company is informing customers and distribution partners across its international markets, urging them to remain cautious about offers made outside authorised sales channels. Given the limited availability and high value of the wines, unusually large quantities appearing through unofficial sellers could attract attention.

Italian authorities are continuing their investigation, and no arrests had been reported in the initial disclosures. The company hopes the size of the stolen shipment will make it difficult for those responsible to sell the bottles without attracting scrutiny. The incident follows other thefts targeting premium wines at Italian wineries in recent months, including a separate case involving thousands of bottles of Barolo. The latest robbery has raised concerns among wine producers about the security of valuable stock held in storage before international distribution.

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