BEEhind the Scenes at St. Supery: Dollarhide Ranch

A few weeks back (I know, I'm slow) I had the opportunity to head out to San Fran for the BlogHer '09 Food Conference and to Napa for an exclusive "night in" at St. Supery Winery, as part of work events I was helping to faciliate (gotta' love when your job blends with your passion!)

During the first few days, I had the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with my friends over at St. Supery (I can never show them enough love) and in downtime, they provided me an exclusive "backstage" engagement with the working winery, so its only fair I offer u

p the enjoyment of my experience with each of my fellow WinoBees.

Check back over the next few days to see the complete breakdown of my ventures, and don't hesitate to leave a comment/question about the posts. If you have questions specific to St. Supery, you can also reach out to directly to @rickbakas on Twitter.

Day 1: Tour of Dollarhide Ranch

One of the most equisite and serene places I've been, St. Supery's Dollarhide Ranch is a 1,500 acre property nestled in the hills of Po County. Not open to the public, the lovely Tina and Josh from St. Supery allowed me to drive on to the property to truley experience its

ins and outs, and see just where their most notable vintages are made.

Acquired in 1982, Dollarhide ranges in elevation, with diverse terrain and a unique microclimate thats warm during the day (although super hot the day I was there) and cool at night. Since the climate is more

exaggerated, it yields ripe, luscious fruits and well-balanced grapes.

The steep, rolling hills combined with its seven lakes and flat lands are home to a diverse collection of grape vines, flora, fauna, and even animals (they have bee hives where they produce their own honey, and its delish!)