Italian Winery Marchesi Antinori Loses 30,000 Bottles in Overnight Heist

At 2 a.m. on October 3, masked men breached the Marchesi Antinori logistics hub near Cortona, disabling alarms before loading 30,000 bottles onto the winery’s forklifts and loading them onto two delivery trucks. The operation, which lasted roughly three hours, left the facility empty and alerted employees the next morning. The thieves used the winery’s own equipment, a detail that raises questions about insider knowledge or sophisticated pre‑planning.

The stolen cargo comprised the 2023 vintages of Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso – each a flagship of the Antinori portfolio. Roughly ten thousand bottles of each wine were taken, amounting to an estimated €5 million ($5.8 million). The labels are highly sought after by collectors, and the shipment was slated for export to major European markets.

Police investigators are combing through CCTV footage and transport logs to determine whether the burglars had prior information about the shipment’s timing and composition. Early reports suggest the crime may have been commissioned by an overseas buyer, but no link to an employee has been confirmed. Authorities are also cross‑checking this case with similar wine‑theft incidents reported across Tuscany in the past month.

Recovery efforts hinge on tracing the two trucks and identifying distribution points for the three vintages. Customs officials have flagged potential importers, while the Antinori brand has issued a warning to retailers and collectors. A joint task force will convene on October 20 to review evidence and decide whether to pursue criminal charges.