There’s no peace even in the wine cellar anymore. In fact, on closer inspection, wine cellars and, more generally, food and beverage assets have recently become highly sought-after targets for criminals. This is evidenced by the 5-million-euro theft that took place at the Marchesi Antinori facility in Cortona (Arezzo): the thieves made off with 30,000 bottles produced by the Florentine winery, all from the 2023 vintage, including 10,000 bottles of Solaia.

The news, reported by Corriere della Sera and the Financial Times, details a theft that took place on the night of Sunday, October 5: a group of at least seven people carried out the heist, managing to make off with a shipment of Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso. The cost per bottle ranges from 120 to 300 euros: it is no coincidence that this is the wine theft with the highest value ever recorded in Italy.

After disabling the alarm system and shutting down the security cameras installed in the cellar, the thieves reportedly entered with two trucks and then loaded the bottles using the winery’s forklifts. The theft was discovered only on Monday morning, when employees arrived and noticed the wine was missing. The stolen wine may be destined for collectors or bar owners. However, the high value of the bottles could assist investigators in their search: in fact, it could arouse suspicion, especially regarding the Solaia, of which only about 60,000–70,000 bottles are produced annually.

“This is certainly a highly skilled gang,” explains Renzo Cotarella, CEO of Marchesi Antinori. “Perhaps the same one that has targeted other wineries in Italy in recent months. Certainly, a theft of this magnitude and value has never occurred in Italy. We still hope to recover the wine; two trucks can’t just vanish. These wines are extremely valuable, and I don’t understand how they could sell them all over the world without being noticed.”

Cotarella adds that Antinori wants to “protect the market” by warning potential buyers that bottles offered by unusual sources at attractive prices could be stolen goods. The company confirms: “We are informing our customers worldwide: we want to warn them to be wary of offers outside official channels.”