According to the company, the theft took place on Saturday while a large shipment of wine was being prepared for international customers. The stolen bottles are estimated to be worth more than one billion Pakistani rupees.
Local media reports said at least seven masked individuals were involved in the operation. They allegedly disabled the alarm system and shut down surveillance cameras before carrying out the theft.
The suspects then used the company’s forklifts to load two large trucks with expensive red wines from the Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso brands before fleeing the warehouse.
Marchesi Antinori Chief Executive Renzo Cotarella told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he believed it was the largest theft of its kind in Italy.
He said a robbery involving such a large quantity and value of wine had never occurred in the country before.
Cotarella expressed hope that authorities would be able to trace the stolen bottles. He said two trucks loaded with goods could not simply disappear, noting that surveillance cameras were installed at various locations along roads in Tuscany.
Speaking to the Financial Times, he questioned how such a large quantity of expensive wine could be sold worldwide without attracting attention.
The company believes the thieves deliberately selected bottles typically priced between €150 and €500 each, suggesting they had detailed knowledge of the wines and may have had access to inside information.
The theft was discovered on Monday morning when staff arrived at the warehouse for their usual work. No arrests had been reported at the time of the report.
Founded in 1385, Marchesi Antinori exports wine to 170 countries. The company reported revenue of €263 million last year.
Several other wine thefts have also been reported in Italy this year, including two incidents in the northern region of Piedmont, where bottles worth millions of euros were reportedly stolen.
