Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival

Charles Bieler

Charles Bieler, one-third of the Three Thieves, has winemaking in his blood. His previous experience came in the form of Chateau Routas in Provence with his father. He also spent a harvest in the Coonawarra region of Australia.
While Bieler still admires the charm and tradition of the historical Old World wines, he is intrigued by the open-mindedness and progressiveness of the New World wines. It is his hope that the Old World will progress just enough to keep up but still keep its essence. His admiration of Old World wines has helped him discover that Southern France is his favorite winemaking region. From Provence to the Spanish border, Bieler respects the smaller properties and maverick winemakers that have emerged.
Still, it was his time in the Land Down Under that Bieler began to see wine in a new light. He didn’t think wine should be put on a pedestal and reserved for the snobs. Hence, with the help of Joel Gott and Roger Scommegna, the trio formed to turn what Bieler dubbed a “timid wine industry” on its head and packaging was their first avenue of attack.
In 2001, there was an excess of premium wine and, like any good economics professor will tell you, the law of supply and demand was in favor of the men who would later become known as the “Three Thieves.” Because of the surplus, Bieler, Gott and Scommegna were able to obtain high-end wines for ultra-low prices. As such, people had, in jest, accused them of thievery – thus, the pseudonym “Three Thieves” stuck.
Bieler and his accomplices looked to the jug when figuring out how to package their new wines. They aimed to bring the jug, a classic American wine vessel, back into fashion. The Thieves operated under the theory that when it comes right down to it, the best wine can be served in a Dixie cup and it will still be good; and the worst wine can be served in a heavy glass and it will still be horrible. After the jug phenomenon took off, Bieler and Co. looked to Tetra Pak for their next endeavor, Three Thieves Bandit wines. The lightweight, eco-friendly packaging is now known as the juice box for big kids. The Bandit wines—Tetra Pak liters and 250ml 4-pack formats which come in several varietals including cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio, merlot and most recently ”Bonnie” white zinfandel—have shaken the traditional wine industry, which is just what Bieler has set out to do.