Tod Dexter grew up with wine. Along with his parents' considerable interest in wine he had a childhood friendship with the Crittendon family, one of Melbourne's premium wine merchants who further introduced him to the world of wine. It was then no surprise that in 1974 after a skiing trip in the US, Tod ended up in the Napa Valley where he spent a seven-year apprenticeship with one of California's premium family wineries, Cakebread Cellars.