30,000 BOTTLES STOLEN FROM ONE OF ITALY'S TOP WINERIES

ROME, OCTOBER 9 /SRNA/ - Thieves stole 30,000 bottles of wine worth an estimated EUR 5 million from Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy's most prestigious wineries, local media reported today.

The winery said the theft took place at its warehouse in Tuscany as the company was preparing to ship a consignment to customers abroad.

According to local media, at least seven masked people disabled the alarms and surveillance system before using company forklifts to load the wine onto two large trucks.

The winery believes the choice of bottles, which sell for between EUR 150 and EUR 500 each, suggests the thieves had specialist knowledge of wine and may have had inside help.

Winery director Renzo Cotarella told Corriere della Sera that it was the largest theft of its kind in Italy and said he hoped authorities would be able to recover the stolen wine.

"Two truckloads of wine cannot simply disappear. Tuscany's roads are full of cameras and, with a bit of luck, we may be able to recover at least some of the stolen wine," Cotarella said.

He said the stolen wine was highly valuable and believed any attempt to sell it would be difficult to conceal anywhere in the world.

Marchesi Antinori was founded in 1385 and exports wine to 170 countries.