Portrait of Iris Rideau
i. Biography
Iris Rideau’s career was built across sectors that rarely made room for Black women in equal measure. The throughline is not a single field, but disciplined entry into each one: insurance, securities, wine. In each case, the work reads as business first—ownership, management, civic responsibility—shaped by a Creole New Orleans upbringing and a life lived under Jim Crow rules.
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The Path
A first position as receptionist at an insurance agency in Los Angeles, California put Iris Rideau inside the routines of business before she had her own firm. From there came Rideau & Associates Insurance Agency in Los Angeles, California (1967–1997), a long-running practice that reflects staying power as much as market knowledge. Public service also ran alongside the business work, including her tenure as chairman at Mayor’s Affirmative Action Committee in Los Angeles, California (1973–1976), where her role connected enterprise to civic change.
Rideau Securities Firm in Los Angeles, California (from 1982) extended that footing into another financial field. Later, Rideau Vineyard in Solvang, California (1997–2016) marked her move into wine, with ownership and founding responsibilities carried under her name. It was an expansion of the same pattern: enter a gated field, establish a place in it, and hold that ground long enough for it to count.
The Work Today
Rhône grape variety wines were the center of the wine work tied to Rideau Vineyard in Solvang. The reference point is personal as well as professional, with family memory giving wine an early place in the household: "My grandmother was Italian and so her father made red wine. It was served in a beautiful antique pitcher, and the kids got a little glass, watered down. Drinking wine since I was seven!"
Signature
Iris's signature wines include Santa Ynez Estate Viognier 2018.
FAQ
Asked of Iris
Where did Iris Rideau work before?
Iris Rideau's earlier career included insurance agency, Rideau & Associates Insurance Agency, and Mayor’s Affirmative Action Committee.
What recognition has Iris Rideau received?
Best in Show in the Los Angeles International Wine Competition.
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The Sunday email
Read about winemakers like Iris Rideau in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
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