Thirty thousand bottles of Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso were stolen from the Marchesi Antinori warehouse in Cortona, in the province of Arezzo. The estimated value is approximately 5 million euros. The Carabinieri are investigating, while the company is warning customers to be wary of offers coming from sources other than official channels.
Marchesi Antinori was the victim of a theft totaling approximately 5 million euros. Over the weekend, a gang stole 30,000 bottles from the company’s warehouse in Cortona, in the province of Arezzo. The news was reported on October 9 by the Financial Times and Corriere della Sera and picked up by ANSA.
The stolen shipment included Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso: according to ANSA, the bottles are all from the 2023 vintage, and approximately 10,000 of them are Solaia. The wine was ready to be shipped to international customers.
The Heist at the Warehouse
According to published accounts, at least seven people were involved. After disabling the alarm system, the thieves reportedly loaded the pallets onto two trucks using the company’s forklifts and then drove away.
The disappearance of the bottles was not discovered until Monday, October 5, when employees arrived at work. The Carabinieri from the Cortona unit are investigating the theft, according to the Corriere di Arezzo.
The Notice to Customers
CEO Renzo Cotarella, in statements to newspapers, highlighted the gang’s planning and the scale of the heist. Antinori is notifying its customers worldwide, urging them to be wary of purchase offers made outside official channels.
The goal is also to prevent the stolen bottles from entering the commercial market. Cotarella has appealed to the wine industry to help track down the shipment, noting that offers from unusual sellers at particularly attractive prices could involve stolen goods.
The investigation is ongoing, as are the efforts to determine the exact extent of the theft. All of the stolen bottles are equipped with the anti-counterfeiting system adopted by Marchesi Antinori.
