Thieves steal 30,000 bottles of wine worth €5 million from Italy's Marchesi Antinori
In short
Thieves stole about 30,000 bottles of wine worth about €5 million from a Marchesi Antinori warehouse in Cortona, Tuscany, as the winery prepared a shipment for foreign customers, the Financial Times reported. The bottles, including Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso, retail at €150 to €500 each. Police are investigating, and no one has been detained.
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Thieves stole about 30,000 bottles of wine worth about €5 million from a warehouse of the Italian winery Marchesi Antinori in Cortona, Tuscany, the Financial Times reported. The FT said the theft was probably the largest in the world by both the number and the value of bottles stolen. The company said it was one of the largest wine thefts in Italy's history, and its chief executive, Renzo Cotarella (Ренцо Котарелла), told Corriere della Sera that a theft of this scale and value had not happened in Italy before. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Outlets gave different dates. Meduza, citing the company, said the theft took place on the night to 4 October. Vedomosti, citing the BBC, said it happened on 2 October and that the loss was discovered only on the morning of 5 October, when staff came to work. Kommersant, citing the winery, said it happened last weekend. The warehouse held a shipment of wine prepared for customers abroad. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Seven masked men disabled the alarm and loaded two trucks with cases of Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso, which usually retail at €150 to €500 a bottle, according to Meduza and Vedomosti. Vedomosti said at least seven men were believed to be involved, that they also disabled the surveillance cameras and that they used forklifts; Meduza said the robbery was caught on surveillance cameras. The company believes the thieves knew wine well and may have had inside information, pointing to the choice of bottles, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Police are investigating, but no suspects have been detained. "We still hope we can find the wine — two trucks cannot simply disappear," Cotarella said, adding that he could not imagine how such a volume could be sold around the world without attracting attention. Kommersant reported that he urged potential buyers to be wary if offered premium wine of dubious origin at an attractive price. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Marchesi Antinori was founded in 1385. Kommersant described it as Italy's largest family winery and said it owns 15 wineries in Italy and other countries. Vedomosti reported that it exports to 170 countries and had revenue of €263 million last year. [ 3 , 4 ]
Meduza reported that wine thieves in Italy usually target Michelin-starred restaurants but have turned to wineries since summer 2026: Banfi di Montalcino reported 3,000 bottles of Alta Langa stolen from its warehouse in Piedmont, and in September four thieves took 3,000 bottles of Barolo from the Conterno Fantino winery in the same region over three hours. Vedomosti, citing the BBC, said Italy has seen a series of large wine thefts in 2026, including two in Piedmont involving wine worth hundreds of thousands of euros. [ 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The Financial Times described the theft as probably the largest in the world by number and value of bottles stolen. Meduza reported that thieves in Italy have targeted wineries since summer 2026, and Vedomosti, citing the BBC, reported a series of large wine thefts in Italy this year. The company believes the thieves knew wine and may have had inside information, and its chief executive asked buyers to be wary of premium wine of dubious origin offered at an attractive price.
Key facts
- About 30,000 bottles of wine were stolen from the Italian winery Marchesi Antinori. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The stolen wine is valued at about €5 million. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The theft took place at the company's warehouse in Cortona, Tuscany. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The wine had been prepared for shipment to customers abroad. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The thieves took the wine away in two trucks; the bottles retail at €150 to €500 each. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The stolen wines included Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Police are investigating, and no suspects have been detained. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- About 30,000 bottles worth about €5 million were stolen from Marchesi Antinori. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- No one has been detained in the case. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The theft took place at a warehouse in Cortona as the company prepared a shipment for foreign customers. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The wine was taken away in two trucks, and the bottles retail at €150 to €500 each. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Masked men disabled the alarm and loaded the trucks with Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso wines. [ 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- The date of the theft. Meduza, citing the company, said it happened on the night to 4 October; Vedomosti, citing the BBC, said 2 October and that the loss was discovered on the morning of 5 October; Kommersant said last weekend.
- Whether the surveillance cameras recorded the robbery. Vedomosti said the thieves disabled the alarm and the surveillance cameras, while Meduza said the robbery was caught on surveillance cameras.
- Whether the thieves had inside information. The company believes so, citing the choice of bottles, as reported only by Vedomosti.
- Who carried out the theft and where the wine is now. Police are investigating and no suspects have been detained.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports, citing the Financial Times, that 30,000 bottles worth €5 million were stolen from an Italian winery and that no arrests have been made. [ 1 ]
- RBC reports the theft from Marchesi Antinori's warehouse in Cortona before a large export shipment. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reports details including the two trucks, bottle prices and the chief executive's appeal to buyers. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti, citing the BBC, reports that at least seven masked men disabled the alarm and cameras and that the loss was discovered on 5 October. [ 4 ]
- Meduza reports the company's account and other wine thefts from Italian wineries in 2026. [ 5 ]