Thieves Steal 30,000 Bottles From Marchesi Antinori in Tuscany Wine Heist

The theft targeted Marchesi Antinori's wine storage operation near Cortona, in Tuscany's province of Arezzo. The company identified the location in an account reported by CBS Top Stories on October 9.

Around 30,000 bottles were stolen, with an estimated value of €5 million. ANSA.it described it as Italy's biggest wine heist by value, a distinction that concerns the financial loss rather than necessarily the number of bottles.

Reports published on October 9 described an overnight raid on the warehouse. According to Global News, the Florence-based winery said security camera footage showed seven masked men breaking into the Cortona storage facility and loading thousands of bottles onto two trucks.

The accounts do not agree on the gang's size. NYT World News reported on October 9 that as many as 10 men took part. The October 10 headline from NDTV News - World-news News described six thieves and two vans, rather than the seven men and two trucks in the footage account.

The loss also affected the winery's staff. An October 9 headline from Telegraaf described personnel in tears after the theft.

By October 10, reporting identified the stolen reds as Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso. NDTV News - World-news News said these wines sell for €120 to €300 or more, depending on the vintage. The Independent also named all three among the stolen bottles.

The investigation remains ongoing. The available reporting establishes the scale of the loss, but leaves conflicting accounts of the number of thieves and the vehicles used.

The winery's response extends beyond the warehouse. Euronews reported on October 9 that Antinori had warned customers to look out for offers of its wines coming from outside official channels.

The immediate questions are whether investigators can identify the thieves and recover the bottles. The company's reported warning also makes any appearance of the stolen wines outside authorised sales channels important to follow.

A fuller account of the security footage could help resolve the conflicting reports about the gang's size and transport. For now, those details should not be treated as settled.