ENJOY THE SHOW

By: Nikki Berglund
Staff Writer

Not only do I love to write about, talk about, read about, and obviously drink a lot of wine, I also inhale any television show or movie about wine. Just recently my husband and I watched a really intriguing documentary on Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of Tool, and now apparently also a winemaker in Arizona. Who knew? “Blood Into Wine” is the story of Keenan and his winery Caduceus, out of Jerome, Arizona. Instead of just wanting to be a rich dude who puts his name on a wine label because that’s what you do when you have money, Keenan completely immersed himself in the lifestyle, even reaching a level of education where he can actually refer to himself as the “winemaker” on his label. In this flick, there were admittedly a few moments of over exaggerated self importance, along with a pretty unnecessary interview with Milla Jovovich- yes I know she is very hot but still?! I do appreciate his tenacity though and given what a driven individual he is, I expect we will be seeing some unique wines from him in the future.

Sorry if I am disappointing anyone, but my article is not actually on Keenan; mainly because I like to talk about wines that we can actually get around here and these are not them.  Also, for me the verdict is still out on this whole winemaking thing in Arizona, although I have started to hear some interesting things! 

Instead my story today is about a trio of characters, who have deemed themselves “The Three Thieves” and who not only are doing some pretty innovative stuff in the wine world these days, but now they have their own television show,  a wine and travel series debuting on The Cooking Channel on Thursday, Jan. 27.

Three Thieves was started in 2002 by Roger Scommegna (Scommes for short), Charles Bieler and Joel Gott, each of whom brings his own unique perspective to this endeavor. Roger Scommegna is known more for his savvy business ventures than wine making, but this makes him an invaluable part of the team. Charles Bieler who spent his formative years in Provence, France (home of my most beloved Rosés), brings the Old World style to this New World collaboration. Joel Gott, perhaps the most recognized name of the group, comes from five generations of wine making and has made a name for himself (literally, his wine label is Joel Gott Wines) earning high marks from all of the major wine publications.

Calling themselves “the liberators of world class wine” the main goal of these boys has always been to combine good juice purchased from quality vineyards with eye catching labels at an affordable price.  Since 2002 they have tried some really unique things, some of which worked, and some that didn’t. Their first attempt, which I haven’t seen in the market for years, was a premium red wine in a retro jug at a bargain price. Although the wine was fine, I think people had a really hard time getting past the fact that they were drinking wine out of jug, something we are trained to know is a “bad thing.”  Luckily their next attempt, The Bandit Tetra Pak, although just as risky, is really taking off.

Since I already wrote an article on The Bandit wines (Wine in a Carton?  April 22, 2010) I will not go into too much detail. Basically, the forward thinking Thieves took some great wine, put it in an eco-friendly carton, and made something that looks like a juice box into an adult beverage success story. These wine come in 375ML and Liter cartons, with an objective to retail for under $10.

Perhaps the most successful project to date is their label The Show, which so far has a Cabernet and a Malbec. The California Cabernet is a blend of juice from Central, Napa, and North Coast AVA’s (American Viticultural Area) mostly Cabernet with a little bit of Petit Syrah thrown in to spice things up. The Show Cabernet is one of the top 20 Cabernets in its price point and once you try it, it’s obvious why. I think it might have to do with Bieler’s background in French wine that gives this wine more personality than many of the other California Cabernets in this category. They also do a Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina that has been enjoying some success. As a Malbec lover, I think this one really represents the grape nicely, especially for the price. Speaking of price, these wines retail for right around $11- $14.

Besides the juice inside, the labels are really interesting. For this venture the Thieves hired one of the oldest print shops in America, “Hatch Show Print “to design their labels. With a portfolio that includes show posters for Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong, among others, according to the website, this Nashville company represents a “distinct whiff of American history, southern culture, and entertainment.” When The Show first came out, there were three different Hatch Show Print labels in every box, so four of each.  Apparently the new cases come with 12 distinct labels, although we have yet to get this vintage in.

On January 27 at 8 p.m., the cooking channel will show the pilot episode of The Three Thieves, a wine and travel series that follows the guys as they travel around the world, in search of wines that mirror the culture, food and people of whatever country they happen to be visiting. In the first episode, they will be travelling to Chile in search of the perfect Pinot Noir to add to The Show lineup. Given the diverse personalities of these guys, and the fact that travelling to foreign countries and wine are involved, I am betting I have found myself a new Thursday night show!

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