Born in Australia, Richard was exposed early on to the wine industry through helping out on his uncle’s vineyards in the Riverina area of New South Wales. Upon graduating high school Richard took a gap year and signed up to work as a vintage cellar hand in one of the local wineries. During that harvest Richard was bitten by the bug and applied to study winemaking and viticulture at Charles Sturt University. After graduation he set out on the endless harvest, working vintages in regions around the world including, Burgundy (France), Hawke’s Bay (New Zealand), Napa Valley (USA), Sonoma Valley (USA), Barossa Valley (Australia), Hunter Valley (Australia) and Riverina (Australia). It was while working in Napa, Richard met his wife. Aly, a Colorado native introduced him to the Colorado wine scene, which at the time was still quite small. It wasn’t until visiting Palisade, that they both realized the amazing potential and uniqueness of the Colorado terroir. In 2020 they moved to Palisade and started Cliff Dweller Wine Company. Focusing on 100% Colorado grown grapes and working closely with a family of dedicated growers. Richard is crafting wines which display the varied nuances of Colorado’s terroir.
