18 Years of Thief Wine: A Lot of Wine, A Lot of Stories & One Very Lucky Move to Milwaukee

On July 20, 2026, Thief Wine Shop & Bar turned 18. Eighteen years of uncorking bottles, discovering new grapes, talking wine with strangers who quickly become regulars, and helping people find something delicious to take home.

Not bad for a business that started with two people from California Wine Country asking themselves, essentially, “Why Milwaukee?”

It Started With a Bit of a Gamble

Back in 2008, Phil Bilodeau and Aimee Murphy left California wine country and moved to Milwaukee with an idea: create the kind of wine shop and bar they wanted to visit themselves.

At the time, neither had deep roots in Milwaukee. They had spent their careers immersed in wine, hospitality and communications in places like Napa and Sonoma, but Milwaukee wasn't exactly an obvious next stop.

Then they discovered an opportunity inside the Milwaukee Public Market.

They saw something here that excited them: a city with a growing interest in wine, plenty of room for discovery, and a market that felt like the perfect home for a small, independent business focused on distinctive wines and good value.

Thief Wine opened in July 2008.

And apparently, Milwaukee was ready for us.

So, Why "Thief"?

It's a question we've been answering for 18 years.

A "thief" is actually a wine tool - a long glass tube used to pull a sample of wine from a barrel while it's still aging. It's how winemakers and wine professionals get a sneak peek at what's happening inside the barrel.

We liked the idea.

It felt a little insider-y without being stuffy. It suggested discovery, curiosity and the excitement of finding something you weren't expecting.

And, honestly, it's a pretty fun name for a wine shop.

From 500 Bottles to 750+ (and Counting)

When Thief opened, the goal was never to be the biggest wine shop. It was to be an interesting one.

That hasn't changed.

Today, our retail selection includes more than 750 wines from around the world, with an emphasis on smaller, artisanal producers and wines that offer something distinctive—whether that's a classic bottle from a famous region or something you've never heard of before.

We've always believed that a great wine doesn't have to be expensive, famous or covered in awards.

Sometimes the best bottle is the one you've never heard of.

That's why you'll find familiar favorites alongside obscure grapes, emerging regions and producers who are doing things a little differently. And it's why we're always happy to help you find something based on what you actually like, not just what someone says you're supposed to like.

And Then There's the Bar

From the beginning, Thief was designed to be both a wine shop and a wine bar.

That combination is still one of the things we love most.

You can come in for a bottle to take home. You can sit down for a glass. You can taste something you've never tried before. You can grab a flight and compare several wines side by side. You can open a bottle from the shop and enjoy it here.

In other words, you don't have to know exactly what you want when you walk through the door.

That's kind of the point.

Our wine bar list changes frequently, giving us an excuse to keep finding new things and giving you an excuse to keep coming back.

We've Learned a Few Things Along the Way

Eighteen years in business teaches you a thing or two.

We've learned that people are often more adventurous than they think.

We've learned that "I usually drink Cabernet" can be the beginning of a very interesting conversation.

We've learned that the best way to understand wine isn't necessarily to memorize a bunch of facts. Sometimes it's simply to taste two wines side by side and ask, "Wait...why do these taste so different?"

We've learned that wine education should be fun.

And we've learned that you can know a lot about wine and still get just as excited about discovering a new bottle as someone who's tasting it for the first time.

We've Changed. A Lot.

Over 18 years, plenty has changed.

We've grown. We expanded into a second location and eventually returned our focus to the Milwaukee Public Market. We've watched the Market itself evolve. We've seen wine trends come and go, grapes become fashionable, regions emerge, and plenty of bottles come and go from our shelves.

We've made mistakes. We've learned from them.

We've celebrated milestones, weathered Covid-19 years, and somehow managed to keep doing what we set out to do in the first place: find interesting wines and share them with people.

Through all of that, the heart of Thief hasn't changed much.

We're still independent. We're still curious. We're still looking for great values. And we're still far more interested in helping you find a wine you'll love than telling you what wine you should love.

Most of All, There's You

The best part of 18 years isn't the number of bottles we've sold or the number of wines we've tasted.

It's the people.

The regular who comes in every Friday.

The person who wandered into the Market years ago and decided to try something they'd never heard of.

The customer who started out knowing very little about wine and now has strong opinions about Riesling.

The person who comes in looking for a bottle for dinner and ends up discovering a new favorite.

The groups who've celebrated birthdays, hosted tastings and shared countless glasses around our bar.

And the people who have been with us since the beginning.

You are the reason Thief Wine is still here 18 years later.

Here's to the Next Bottle

On July 20, 2008, we opened the doors of Thief Wine Shop & Bar with a few hundred bottles, a wine bar, a lot of enthusiasm and absolutely no idea what the next 18 years would bring.

Eighteen years later, we're still opening doors, pulling corks, pouring tastes and looking for the next great bottle.

And we still think Milwaukee was a pretty great place to take a chance.

So thank you … for every bottle you've bought, every glass you've shared, every question you've asked, every recommendation you've trusted, and every time you've stopped in just to see what's new.

Cheers to 18 years of Thief Wine. And, of course, to whatever we're opening next.

— Thief Wine Shop & Bar