Thieves steal 30,000 bottles of Italy

Thieves stole about 30,000 bottles of some of Italy's most prized wines worth an estimated $5.8 million from a winery in Tuscany, in what the producer described Friday as the country's largest wine theft on record.

Chief Executive Renzo Cotarella said the thieves disabled the winery's alarm system and surveillance cameras before entering with two large trucks. Using the company's forklifts, they loaded the vehicles with wine and fled during the night.

Wine Spectator reported that in July, 3,300 bottles were stolen from the renowned Italian producer Castello Banfi.

Thieves made off with wines, including bottles of Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso. The theft was discovered Monday, but the company made it public on Friday to avoid interfering with the investigation.

The stolen bottles were all from the 2023 vintage and are typically sold at a retail price of between 150 euros (approximately $168) and 500 euros each ($560). They included about 10,000 bottles of Solaia, one of Antinori's flagship wines, from what Cotarella described as an exceptional year.

The company, founded in 1385 and run by the Antinori family for 26 generations, said it was alerting customers worldwide to be wary of offers outside official sales channels.

Authorities are investigating how the stolen wine may be sold. Police and Carabinieri officers are examining surveillance footage and other evidence. Cotarella said he remained confident investigators could trace the shipment, noting that two truckloads of wine would be difficult to move without attracting attention.

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