Bio

Like many love stories, Richard's devoted relationship with wine began in Florence, Italy.  When he fatefully took a year off from his studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles to travel throughout Europe, Richard discovered that wine was not a luxury, but a staple at every European table.  Inspired, he set out to taste different varietals and study what set different wines apart.  Little did he know, the time he spent in Europe tasting wines and learning new cooking styles would change the course of his life.

Richard returned to the United States to continue his pursuit of environmental law, while his experiences tasting and traveling in Europe lingered in the background. After he was admitted to law school, he poured himself a glass of Chianti to cheers the next step in his life.  He went to take a congratulatory sip, and the smell of the wine immediately brought him back to the days he spent tasting and touring around Italy. He took another whiff, and the smell of the Chianti reminded him of one particularly memorable Italian meal: he remembered what his wife was wearing, what they ate, and how the waitress helped them select their meals and wine for the evening.  He remembered his passion for wine. He paused to reflect on the intellectual value of wine and its ability to communicate the geography, geology, history, people, and cuisine of Italy.  He realized there was nothing else like wine that could take you to a different place, and he suddenly knew how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

His goal shifted away from making the world a better place through environmental law to helping others enjoy life as a sommelier.  Richard opted out of law school and began cooking and studying wine furiously.  His first foray into wine world was at Janos, a multi-award winning restaurant in Tuscon, Arizona.  His success as Janos’ sommelier encouraged him to focus solely on wine.  He moved to Aspen, Colorado to join Montagna at the Little Nell as the “Sommelier to the Stars,” where he continued to build the restaurant’s Wine Spectator Grand Award winning wine list.  During this time he began studying for the Court of Master Sommelier exams.  He passed his Masters Exam in February of 2003, and became the ninth person in the world to be awarded the coveted Krug Cup, the prestigious award given to the single highest scoring candidate who passes all three portions of the Masters Exam on their first attempt.

Richard went on to found Betts and Scholl with partner Dennis Scholl, and their first vintage of “the OG” 2001 Barossa Valley Grenache gained recognition from Food and Wine magazine as its 2004 “Star Selection” of the best new wineries in the world.  In the fall of 2009, Richard sold Betts and Scholl to Castle Brands, where he makes wines and leads their newly formed wine division.  The label Betts and Scholl continues to produce exceptional wines from Australia and France’s Rhone Valley, and has won top praise from national publications.  Richard also co-founded Scarpetta Wines with fellow Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey, and is a founder of the Mezcal label from Oaxaca, called Sombra Oaxaca Mezcal.   He is currently a consultant with the Auberge Resort Group in California.  Richard has been featured in numerous publications and television segments, including Wine Spectator, Food and Wine, Wine Taste TV, Forbes, 5280 Denver Magazine, the New York Times, and National Geographic Explorer.

Even after years of experience in the wine industry, Richard still believes that all wine should evoke a sense of place and aims to create wines that send you somewhere.  He believes that wine should be fun, and that you should order whatever wine you are drawn to, without concern for what you “should” be drinking; wine as a grocery, not a luxury.  He currently resides in Boulder, Colorado with his wife Mona, his daughter Isabella, and his retriever Mukki.