"Some Bottles Cost 450,000 Won Each" ... 7.5 Billion Won Worth of Wine Stolen from Italy's Wine Dynasty by Two Trucks

Major theft at renowned Italian winery

30,000 bottles stolen

Thieves bypassed security and fled with two truckloads

Winery warns customers about unofficial sellers

About 30,000 bottles of fine wine worth approximately 7.5 billion won were stolen from a famous winery in Tuscany, Italy. Investigators believe the thieves carefully planned the crime, disabling the security system and using two large trucks to transport the wine.

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On October 9 (local time), Italy’s ANSA news agency and the U.S. Associated Press, among other outlets, reported that a theft had occurred at a storage facility belonging to the Marchesi Antinori winery in Cortona, in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany. The stolen wine is estimated to be worth approximately 5 million euros (about 7.5 billion won).

The theft is believed to have taken place over the weekend. At least seven thieves broke into the facility, shut off the alarm system and disabled cameras monitoring the interior and surrounding area. They then used a forklift at the site to load the wine onto two large trucks and flee.

The theft was discovered after employees arrived at work on October 5, following the weekend. The company delayed making the incident public to avoid hindering the investigation, and disclosed the loss on October 9. The theft is reportedly the largest wine heist in Italy since about 2,000 bottles of rare wine were stolen from a warehouse near Cervia in 2017.

The stolen wines included Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso, among Antinori’s signature fine wines. All were from the 2023 vintage, and about 10,000 bottles of Solaia were reportedly among those stolen.

These wines attract the interest of collectors in the international wine market. Depending on the label, they sell for about 120 to 300 euros per bottle (180,000 to 450,000 won), while some rare varieties fetch higher prices. Solaia is reportedly produced in limited quantities of about 60,000 to 70,000 bottles a year, so a large quantity of the stolen wine could attract attention if it enters the market.

Antinori CEO Renzo Cotarella told local media that “it appears the thieves planned the operation carefully in advance.” He said thefts had also recently occurred at other wineries in Italy and suggested that the same group may have been involved.

The company urged customers worldwide to be cautious in case the stolen wine is sold through unofficial channels. It advised anyone offered the wine by a seller that is not an authorized retailer to verify its origin. Cotarella said it would be difficult for two truckloads of wine to disappear without a trace and expressed hope that at least some of it could be recovered.

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