Friends are the family you choose for yourself.
Jim Rickards, 1995

Family Bottling Day

The bottling crew at work!

The bottling crew at work!

This page is dedicated to the memory of our dear and true friend, Mike McNeill. He’s pictured front right, looking a bit concerned. Perhaps he was figuring out how the save the poor fool who climbed a barrel stack to take the shot. He was the best bottle polisher ever, and we will miss him terribly. Here’s to you, Mike!

When Eliza and I started making wine in 1991, the first vintage was in celebration of our marriage.  We asked friends to help us bottle the wine in 1993 and from that tradition grew the annual Family Bottling Day.  Our close friends, who have supported our wine making efforts throughout the years, continue to gather each year to bottle a special red wine blend, share a nice meal and reminisce about how it all started in the chicken shed so many years ago. To all of them, we say Cheers

Recipes from the J. Rickards Kitchen! 

Good food is an important part of our wine experience. See below for a list of our favorite recipes we'd like to share with you.

Where to find J. Rickards Wine (besides the Winery)

We've outgrown listing every place on this page, so click here for restaurants and wine shops that serve and sell our wines!

Associations