Year-round, sports fans gather to cheer for their team. My friends and I attended a San Francisco Giants game (I was in full orange/black regalia) where we barbequed skirt steak, tri-tip and hot dogs. Buying pre-marinated meat is convenient and those shrink wrapped packages make for easy clean up. The below is from our entertaining guru, Beatrice Charpentier:

Try to keep your tailgate party simple by planning easy to prepare foods and storing them in disposable containers. Prepare as much as you can a day or two ahead of the game. Arrive 3 or 4 hours before the game so you can find a good parking spot. Finally, make extra food and bring plenty of St. Supéry wine (and a few beers) to share with your tailgating neighbors.

The key to a stress free tailgate party is preparation. There is nothing worse than getting to the game only to realize that you forgot something (like your St. Supéry wine!) For this reason, I am a big fan of lists. I have prepared this list for you as a starting place. Just add the items that you need for your particular menu.

-St. Supéry wine (red and white)
-Wine glasses (plastic is safer for your tires in the event of breakage–GoVino is a favorite)
-Wine opener
-Trash bags
-Paper napkins
-Disposable plates, forks, knives
-Drinking water
-Wet naps
-First aid kit
-Folding chairs
-Folding table
-Disposable containers
-Zip lock bags
-Thermos
-Coolers
-BBQ utensils (tongs, wire brush, fork)
-Grill (charcoal, chimney starter, matches/extra propane cans)
-Condiments
-Don’t forget the food!

The Napa Valley has some great wines but there’s so much more to the valley. We asked some of our employees what they thought were places not to be missed on your jaunt to wine country and here is the list:

Try a few or try them all – Our suggestions for Napa Valley
Best burger: Taylor’s Refresher, St. Helena & Red Rock Café in Napa
Best duck burger: Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena
Best local brewery: Silverado Brewing Company, Hwy 29, St. Helena
Best beer store: Nicola’s Deli, Calistoga
Best place to shop for wedding presents: Vanderbilt, St. Helena
Best children’s clothing: Freckles in St. Helena
Best shoes: Footcandy, St. Helena
Best fudge: Candy Cellar, Calistoga
Best macaroons: Model Bakery, St. Helena
Best hair salon: Lefever, St. Helena
Best cinema: Cameo, St. Helena
Best late-night gathering & dining: Bouchon, Yountville
Best vintage clothing: Lolo’s, St. Helena and Napa & Betty’s Girl in Napa
Best home furnishings/trinkets: M on Main Street, St. Helena
Best stationery: Pennyweight, St. Helena
Best gift store: Toss and Pennaluna, St. Helena
Best kitchen supply store: Shackford’s, Napa
Best place to start your own vineyard: Herrick Grapevines, St. Helena
Best place to rent a Harley: Nieman’s motorcycle rentals, St. Helena
Best place to sit & read with a cup of coffee: Sweetie Pies, Napa & Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company, St. Helena
Best ribs: Red Rock Café in Napa & Buster’s in Calistoga
Best place to buy fresh caviar: Dean & Deluca, St. Helena
Best sandwich: Guigni’s (pronounced joonies), St. Helena & Genova Deli on Trancas in Napa
Best quesadilla: Azteca Market, St. Helena
Best burrito: (authentic) La Luna Market, Rutherford; (gringo/gourmet) Villa Corona, St. Helena and Napa
Best fish taco: La Taquiza, Napa
Best pizza: Pizzeria Tra Vigne, St. Helena
Best French fries: Bistro Jeanty (duck fat), Yountville & Taylor’s Refresher (sweet potato with aioli) in St. Helena
Best live music/dancing: Hydro Bar, Calistoga
Best pool hall & draft beer selection: Bilco’s in Napa
Best dive bars:
–Yountville: Panchas on Washington
–St. Helena: Ana’s Cantina on Main St.
–Calistoga: Suzie’s on Lincoln
Best riverside dining patio: Angèle, Napa
Best hot springs-fed swimming pool: Indian Springs in Calistoga
Best place to see a live crush in action: St. Supery Winery, Rutherford (shameless self-endorsement)

What is Biodiversity? The variety of plants and animals and other living things in a particular area or region. Biodiversity is important because plant and animal species interact and depend upon one another for food, shelter, oxygen, and soil enrichment.

St. Supery’s Dollarhide Ranch is a 1500 acre property in the north eastern hills of the Napa Valley. With just over 470 acres planted to vine, the rest of the ranch is unplanted due to specific chemical and physical characteristics of the soils, these habitats are nutrient-poor and not suitable for vinous growth. This unique soil has led to the establishment of a highly specialized and diverse flora. It has been estimated that serpentine endemic plant species represent 10 percent of the California Floristic Province’s endemics.

California and, especially, the location of Dollarhide Ranch is a hotspot of native weeds, plants and insects. Because Dollarhide’s terrain is so diverse with 12 different soil types that make up mini eco-systems for native floral and fauna. Loam, clay and sandstone soils provide ideal growing conditions for our vines. Serpentine soils are mostly left for wildlife and native plants. The property also includes seven lakes that are home to thousands of bass and several species of waterfowl.

Our vineyard manager has also incorporated new plantings to increase the eco-culture at Dollarhide. The ranch is home to over 1000 fruit trees—a part of our commitment to preservation is to plant heirloom and raise heritage varieties of fruit and fowl that existed long ago but are no longer abundant.

The Audubon Society conducts an annual bird count at Dollarhide.

WHO: every wine drinker, winery, wine shop, journalist, restaurant, sommelier and chef around the world.

WHAT: Cabernet day is meant to be a community owned celebration of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Blend and Cabernet Franc.

WHERE: on all social media sites and blogs including Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Friendfeed, Gowalla, Wordpress, etc….  Just use the #Cabernet hash tag in your post to make it trackable by everyone else.

WHEN: Thursday September 2, 2010 all day (this is a 24-hour thing to make it possible for people in all time zones to join)

WHY: Short answer: why not?  Longer answer: Cabernet is one of the most popular and celebrated grapes in the world.  Social Media makes it possible to connect with people who share the same interests as you.  When you use the #Cabernet hash tag in your posts makes it easier for people to find you and see what you’re saying.  It also makes it easier for you to find people who are talking about the same subject.  It’s like a giant table with all participants sitting together talking over a glass of wine.

Restaurants and wine shops should find some new people to connect with by tracking the #Cabernet tag.

HOW: Add #Cabernet to any thoughts, videos, tweets, blogs or experiences you have that day.  Search the #Cabernet hash tag by searching google, Twitter search, Facebook search or whatever monitoring software you like.

St. Supéry is offering a special price on our selection of Cabernet’s.  Link coming soon.

See the growing list of participants by going to the Master Cabernet Day site.

From our friends at Trax Restaurant in Ambler, PA:

“Pan Seared Veal Sirloin, topped with Roasted Tomato and Garlic pairs beautifully with a 2009 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley Estate. To make the veal, we rub it with finely-chopped fresh rosemary and thyme from our garden, then sear it in butter until it is golden brown. It’s finished with house-made roasted tomatoes and garlic then finished in the oven, cooked to temperature. The 2009 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc is bright, with intense aromas of lime juice, ruby grapefruit, guava and a hint of clover and it is fermented in stainless steel. The wine’s focused lemon, lime and grapefruit flavors work nicely with Pan Seared Veal. This wine is available at your local Pennsylvania State Store (code 504107) or find the wine near you anywhere in the U.S. by searching on www.Grappos.com

With over 470 acres planted at the Dollarhide Ranch and thirty-five acres planted in Rutherford, St. Supery is a major land owner in the Napa Valley. All of this land allows for almost every wine made by St. Supery to be estate bottled (which means created by St. Supery from start to finish, no purchased fruit or other outside influences). This allows St. Supery to have complete control over just how the grapes are grown. Without these vineyards St. Supery would be relegated to purchasing fruit from outside sources, decreasing the overall control over its wines’ quality. Because St. Supery relies so heavily on these valuable Napa Valley properties, it is no wonder we strive so diligently to keep the land pristine. In order to keep land as healthy as the day it was planted, sustainable practices are used whenever possible.

St. Supery also has begun creating its own compost for the vineyard from a byproduct of the winemaking process. Pomace, basically the seeds, skin and stems left over after the grapes are pressed, is trucked back to Dollarhide. There it is composted over the next few months and is eventually returned to the vineyard soil as a viable fertilizer and organic matter booster.

There are also vast arrays of animals which can be considered part of the Dollarhide family. Everything from ducks and geese, to egrets and a bald eagle can be found frequenting one of the seven lakes on the property. Our rattlesnake population (which the area is known for) helps keep the burrowing pest population from munching on the vine roots. It is not uncommon to see mountain lion or bear prints after a rain. Likewise to see a bobcat running through the vineyard with a jackrabbit in its mouth can be common late at night or in the early morning. The deer, while a nuisance during the start of the growing season (as they nibble at the newly forming shoots), are plentiful during the early spring. Skunks, opossums, and raccoons can be seen running under the moonlight, while during the wetter months; a pair of river otters often venture from Maxwell Creek into some of the lakes in search of a quick bass dinner. All of these creatures cohabit at Dollarhide and rely on each other for survival. If we tried to rid the vineyard of any particular species, other species would be affected as well, soon creating an antiseptic environment with an uneven ecosystem in which to grow balanced vines. Instead, we view the entire property as a living, breathing organism.

Check out the video of our Dollarhide vineyard made by First Press Productions!

recipe by Chef Ron Barber

INGREDIENTS
5 lbs beef short ribs
All-purpose flour
4 TBSP canola oil
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ rounds
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
3 celery stalks, cut into 1″ pieces
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 TSP fresh thyme leaves
1 TSP fresh rosemary, chopped
1-1/2 cups Cabernet
3 cups veal, beef or chicken stock
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Dredge the ribs in flour and season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over high heat in a large dutch oven or ovenproof pot. Brown the ribs in batches without crowding. Pour off all but 3 TBSP of the remaining oil and cook the carrots, onions, celery and garlic until they’re lightly browned—about 5 minutes.
Add the wine to de-galze the pot then add the stock, thyme and rosemary. Bring liquid to a simmer and return the ribs to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid cut from parchment paper and braise ribs in the oven for about 2 hours.

The ribs are done when they are easily pulled from the bone. Transfer the ribs to a platter and keep warm. Strain the braising liquid and discard solids. Bring sauce to a simmer and skim occasionally while it reduces by about one fourth. Adjust the seasonings and serve with the braising sauce. Risotto or polenta make a nice addition.

This recipe is a classic, and usually evokes at least one person to exclaim something about it being so good they need to use bad words to express how good it is.  The St. Supéry Cabernet is the perfect weight to go with this recipe, but if you want to go all the way, open a bottle of Dollarhide Ranch Cabernet, especially one with some age on it and you’ll have one of the best meals of your life!  Cheers

The beautiful white Victorian home, the Atkinson house, that greets our guests at the end of the Camphor lined driveway is a registered historical landmark in the Napa Valley. Its history dates back to the 1800’s and continues to be a reminder of a bygone era. The interiors have been carefully restored and decorated to reflect the popular style of the 1800’s. We have tried to keep the home true to its original look and feel as part of our commitment to preserving a little bit of the Napa Valley’s (and our) history. Below is a piece written by the St. Helena Register about the Atkinson family and our namesake, Edward St. Supery.

“The roots of St. Supery Winery were explored during a meeting of the St. Helena Historical Society. Michaela Rodeno, led the gathering on a tour of the Atkinson House and the winery, and hosted a special VIP tasting afterward. Little is known about Joseph B. Atkinson, believed to have built the house on the property, which has been beautifully restored by the winery. Joseph was born circa 1827, possibly in England.

Coming to California in the 1840s, he went into partnership with his brother in the shirt and collar business. Joseph ran the business from an office at 310 California St. in San Francisco, while his brother had charge of the factory in Philadelphia. Numerous consulting trips were required by Joseph back to the factory. Sales of the
collars, more than the shirts, made a fortune for the two brothers. Collars, being changed more often than shirts, may have been the main cause of the hefty sales.
A longtime asthma sufferer, Joseph came to the Napa Valley with his wife in hopes of improving his health.

Along with buying the Rutherford property, which today is St. Supery Winery, Joseph, also went into business
with Seneca Ewer. Together, they established the Ewer and Atkinson Wine Company. In 1902, Joseph and his wife returned to San Francisco, where he died from asthma complications two years later. Another owner of the property was Edward St. Supery, brother of Mrs. (Adele) Jean V. Chaix, who was a partner in the Brun and Chaix Winery in Oakville. Edward, too, was a quiet person.

He was born circa 1862 to Elizabeth and Antoine St. Supery. Antoine was described as a “pioneer capitalist” in San Francisco. Edward grew up here, along with siblings Alfred and Adele. With the deaths of both Brun and Chaix, the winery, Nouveau Medoc, was eventually sold for over $200,000 — no small sum at the turn of the century. Adele and her children moved back to their house in San Francisco at 2056 Bush St., where Edward later joined them. He died in 1938.”

(Source: St. Helena Register 2008; By Kathleen Kernberger SPECIAL TO THE STAR Thursday, January 17, 2008)