Meet the black winemaker and trailblazer Iris Redo

According to retired winemaker Iris Rido, if you buy about 30 acres of land in the Santa Annez Valley, you can do only two things: raise horses or grow grapes.

“It was an easy decision,” Rido said with a laugh. “I don’t ride horses, but I do drink.”

Rido, widely known as the first black woman to own a winery in the United States, spent an afternoon showing me her favorite places in the wine country of Santa Barbara (travel tips below). By the end of the day, I began to doubt that if Rido had chosen to pursue horseback riding instead of wine making, she could have excelled at it.

“She is unique not only in the wine community, but also in the business world,” said Kayla Cox, a wine consultant and founder of Corkamp, ​​who profiled for Raydo. The Winter Project In 2020. “I think we have a lot to learn from him.”

After more than two decades of communicating his business acumen and hospitality in the wine business, Rido sold his Solwang vineyard to its current owners in 2016.

Today, her heritage tower on Santa Yenez Valley – unlike the tall pines she planted along the driveway of Rydo Vineyard – now provides visitors with a shaded portal for the magic of wine tasting in the afternoon.

Rideau’s decision to build its own vineyard – a huge undertaking, as anyone in the wine industry would tell you – would leave a reaction that stretches far north of this sun-drenched mountainous country north of Santa Barbara.

“He blew up the trails,” said Tahirah Habibi, founder of Hugh Society, A group dedicated to supporting the Black Wine culture. “Her presence was really important to many of the women entering the wine industry.”

From the deep south to the central coast

Rido, 85, did not always call California home, spending his childhood in the Jim Crow-Era New Orleans. “At that time, I hated the South. We couldn’t try on clothes. We couldn’t look at whites – we had to lower our heads, get off the sidewalk, “he said, recalling racist laws that institutionalized segregation for generations.

Raido moved west to California in her early teens. After her daughter Renee became pregnant, she found work in a sewing factory in Los Angeles so she could finish her work.

“That was the turning point in my life, that sewing factory. It was like, I will never stay here. “ Rido said. “I went back to night school and I worked in the factory during the day. And I took business courses, which I loved.

Raido’s association with the business will shape the rest of his life.

After graduating from junior college and gaining experience in an insurance agency, Rido eventually opened his own agency and later a company with financial securities specializing in pension planning for public servants.

“I signed a contract with the city of LA for his pension plan,” Redo said. “That’s how I made my money.”

Rido also worked closely with then-Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley to develop a positive action program designed to help women and people of color secure the agreement with the city.

Rido began considering retirement in 1989. “Between politics and the financial world, it was really kind of for me,” he said. “So I headed north for 101.”

She says Santa Jones Valley spoke to her spirit. “When I turned into this valley, I went: ‘This is it. This is where I want to spend the rest of my life,'” Rido recalls.

She built a house on a hill above the vineyard which she would one day own.

“I bought a property in ’95, [which] Was abandoned for 10 years. It was a historic landmark of Santa Barbara County, “said Raido.

The Alamo Pintado Adobe – built in 1884 – will eventually be transformed into the Rydo Vineyard’s tasting room.

Southern hospitality in the Santa Aeneas Valley

Wine tourism in Santa Yenez Valley looked different when Rido bought his vineyard in 1995.

“In those days, wine tasting rooms were all about getting people to taste the wine, buy wine and go,” said Raydo. “My concept was just the opposite – complete hospitality from my southern background.”

Rido preferred to share New Orleans customs with his guests; Playing blues and jazz, pouring a handful of Mardi Gras beads and making a gambo on the weekends.

“I brought my culture to the valley and there was really no competition,” Rido said. “[Guests] Leave the wine trail and tell others about the wonderful experience on the radio.

As his vineyard grew in popularity, Rido began looking for more women and people of color in the wine industry.

“When I started, I couldn’t find a winemaker of color, and I couldn’t find a woman,” Rido said. “I finally hired a female winemaker in 2014.”

In late August 2021, Rideau visited the Hue Society’s third annual Wine and Culture Fest in Atlanta as an honored guest.

“We actually named an award after him,” Habibie said. Habibie said that going forward, the Iris Rido Pioneer Award will be given to those who are recognized by the Hugh Society as “paving the way for others.”

“The wine industry has traditionally been white, but thanks to Mrs. Rido, there are now more women and people of color in the industry,” said Theodora Lee, a senior associate of Littler Mendelssohn and a lawyer and founder of Theopolis Vineyards. . “Since Mrs. Rido opened the door, I am proud to be recognized by Wine Business Monthly as the 2020 Wine Industry Leader.

“In 2021, I was nominated for a Wine Enthusiast’s 22nd Annual Wine Star Award Person of the Year. But [if not] For Mrs. Rido, I probably didn’t have that opportunity, “Lee added. “I like his drive, determination and determination to succeed despite racism and other obstacles.”

Raydo’s passion for the wine industry made his decision to sell his vineyard in 2016 even more challenging.

“It’s hard to make up your mind to sell,” he said. “You have to find the right person.”

For Rido, the right people were actually two people: Martin and Isabel Gauthier, a couple from Montreal.

“They’re French Canadians, so it was sensible for me,” Redo said. “Canada has a long history of immigrating to Louisiana. It’s part of my heritage, and so, when I met them, I was like, ‘Well, it all comes together.’

Since retiring from winemaking, Raydou has doubled down on writing a memoir and traveling since being published this spring. “I want to spread my wings and travel to places I’ve never been before,” he said. “I plan to go to New Orleans every year from now on.”

Despite her passion for travel, Rido sows deep roots in the fertile soil of the Santa Yanez Valley.

Within minutes, she often goes to her old garden with her two Havanese dogs. “It’s still a part of my life.”

Interested in experiencing a piece of Raido’s life in the Santa Aeneas Valley? This is where she took me on a summer afternoon when we spent together:

Rideau vineyards
Begin your afternoon of wine tasting by taking a sample of Raydou’s signature flight, which features the vineyards of the vineyards.

Take the time to enjoy the Rideau Vineyard picnic table and its ancient oak shade. “This place is really magical,” a fellow guest looked at me as he watched.

Would you like to take a bottle home with you? Rideau suggests her “absolutely favorite white wine,” the stainless steel estate Viognier. “It’s like drinking water for me. I drink it every night, ”he said.

Beckman Vineyard

After finishing at Rideau, continue your tour of the Valley Rhone varietals at Beckmen Vineyards. “They make some great runs in the valley,” Radio said.

Take the time to enjoy the view of Beckman’s Ponds, specially designed to attract birds, turtles, frogs and other wildlife. Water features reflect the vineyard’s dedication to biodiversity and natural biodynamic farming.

Tom Beckman said that when he and Judy Beckman bought their vineyard, “Farming practices weren’t the greatest here.

“Initially, we planted about 40 acres of land in biodynamic farming. And a few years later, it was dramatically different. It looked very healthy, “he said.

Beckman’s influence extends beyond the boundaries of Santa Barbara County. Marketing Manager Taylor Hart said, “We had one of our Greenwich wines at the White House. “Estate Grenoich in 2007 was Barack Obama’s first state dinner as president.”

Vincent Vineyards

Vincent Vineyards from Beckman is located just one mile from the winding Antivirus Road and across California 154.

Given the outdoor tasting terrace and rows of fine vines, it’s hard to imagine a dead walnut garden before Tony and Tanya Vincent’s owners Tony and Tanya Vincent bring the winery to a mid-life.

Since then, Vincent has taken the space to an instant memorable place to sip, from Tony’s black-and-white photo with members of the Rat Pack exhibiting up to the mountains of Los Padres National Forest Peking on a wall inside the winery. Has changed to On the vines.

In addition to Vincent Vineyards’ upscale interior, the taste experience feels homely and accessible – like stopping at a friend’s yard for a glass of wine.

Rido calls Vincent the “best friend in the valley,” explaining how Tania’s warmth and commitment to hospitality permeate the vineyard. “She reminds me of me,” Rido said.

Refuge Ranch Tasting Room

Spend some time strolling along Grand Avenue in nearby Las Olivos, ending in a rural-chic refugee ranch lined with taste rooms.

“I love this place. To me, it represents the valley. It’s comfortable, it’s country, “said Raido as we walked through the wooden gates. “It’s a local hangout.”

Proprietor Kevin Gleason – The Gleason Family Vineyards portfolio he runs with his wife, Nikki, which includes the Refugeo Ranch – can talk to friendships that are already rampant in the Valley’s vineyards.

“I met more people here in three months than in two years in Santa Barbara,” Glaison said, recalling his early days in the Valley.

Gleason, a “Rhone Ranger” partner with Rideau, is serious about his role as an ambassador for the Santa Ynez Valley winemaking, which only began gaining widespread recognition in the 1990’s.

“The most exciting wines are being made here right now,” said Gleason. “We are not competing with Napa. We are building a central coast. “