THIEVES STEAL 30,000 BOTTLES OF WINE FROM TUSCAN WINERY

Thieves stole around 30,000 bottles of wine worth an estimated 5 million euros (£4.2 million) from a Marchesi Antinori storage facility near Cortona in Tuscany, the company said. At least seven masked men disabled the site's alarm system and surveillance cameras before using the company's own forklifts to load two large trucks with bottles, according to the winery. The theft took place on Saturday night but was only discovered on Monday morning when staff arrived, and the company made it public on Friday, saying it had delayed the announcement to avoid interfering with the investigation. The stolen bottles were from the 2023 vintage of some of Antinori's most sought-after reds, including Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso, which typically retail for between 150 and 500 euros each. No arrests have been made.

Chief executive Renzo Cotarella described it as the largest wine theft of its kind in Italy, telling Italian media that "a theft of this scale and value has certainly never occurred in Italy." He suggested the selection of bottles taken indicated the thieves had specialist knowledge of wine and may have had inside information. Cotarella said the group may be linked to thefts at other Italian wineries in recent months, and noted there has been a series of wine thefts in Italy this year, including two in the Piedmont region. Marchesi Antinori, founded in 1385 and run by the same family for 26 generations, exports to 170 countries and reported revenue of 263 million euros last year.

Police and Carabinieri officers are examining surveillance footage and other evidence as part of the investigation, Antinori said. Cotarella said he remained hopeful the shipment could be traced, noting that two truckloads of wine would be difficult to move without attracting attention given the number of cameras on Tuscan roads. He added that he did not know how the thieves could sell such a large quantity of wine worldwide without being detected. The company said it was alerting customers globally to be cautious of any offers made outside its official sales channels.