Richards' wine journey began in 1975 after completing a Diploma in Horticultural Science. This was followed by a Bachelor of Applied Science & Oenology from Charles Sturt University, where the mentorship of Brian Croser instilled in him the value of attention to detail and a deep understanding of wine style. 

After travelling the world, studying and working in Germany and France, Richard joined Leasingham in the Clare Valley, where he was mentored by the late Mick Knappstein. In 1995 he won the Jimmy Watson Trophy for the 1994 Leasingham Shiraz. This was a landmark result for the region, which until then had been pigeonholed as a Riesling producer. He also campaigned with other winemakers in the region to collectively introduce screwcaps during the early 1990s, an innovation that was well ahead of its time. 

Always seeking a challenge, his next endeavour was setting up a greenfield winery and wine brand Kirrihill in Clare in 1998. The project had Richard design and oversee the construction of a modern and innovative 4,000 tonne winery. 

In 2002, Richard was lured over to the Margaret River wine region by the prestigious offer of Chief Winemaker at Evans & Tate. He and the team worked assiduously to refine the winemaking styles, and were ultimately rewarded as the most successful exhibitor at the 2004 Margaret River Wine Show. 

In 2008, Richard was contracted as Chief Winemaker for KWV, one of South Africa’s oldest and largest wineries. Within just three years under Richard’s leadership, the KWV team was the most successful producer at The Veritas Awards, the country’s most prestigious wine competition. While subsequent awards have been significant, Richard considers the most satisfying aspect of this appointment to be the enthusiastic commitment by the winemaking team to forging a new direction. 

On returning to Australia, Richard worked as a consultant with a number of wineries, including Wills Domain, where his role eventually developed into full time winemaker. During this six year period, Richard honed practices to produce wines that were finer and more elegant, with restrained oak, lower alcohols and an improved acid balance. This elevated Wills Domain to the forefront of Margaret River producers, earning numerous awards and trophies along the way. 

And now, Richard’s diverse and distinguished career has led him to pursue his long-held dream to create premium wines from his favourite region in the world, Margaret River, under his own personal label.