Gang of seven disables CCTV and raids Tuscany winery with forklifts in Italy's biggest-ever wine heist

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026 · last updated 11 October 2026.

A gang of at least seven thieves stole 30,000 bottles of premium wine worth €5 million from Marchesi Antinori's facility near Cortona in Tuscany, in what chief executive Renzo Cotarella called the largest wine theft ever recorded in Italy. Before arriving with two large trucks, the raiders knocked out the alarm and cameras, then used the winery's own forklifts to load the haul. Cotarella suggested the same gang may have struck other Italian wineries over recent months.

Around 10,000 of the stolen bottles are 2023 Solaia, one of Antinori's flagship wines, retailing at up to €500 a bottle.

The theft happened on Saturday night but was kept secret until Friday to avoid hampering the investigation; employees discovered the raid on Monday morning.

Cotarella is confident police will track the haul down: 'Two trucks full of wine cannot just disappear into thin air.'