Wine Intern Exchange On a biannual rotation, the Sonoma-Tokaj Committee hosts viticulture students from Tokaj who work at Buena Vista Winery for 3 months during the crush. We partner with Santa Rosa Junior College to select aspiring Sonoma-based winemakers for a similar exchange program in Tokaj. The Sonoma-Tokaj Sister Cities “It was truly a life-changing experience for me. The winemakers that were part of the program Committee was established in April of 2012 by local and Bay Area Hungarians could not have been more friendly and under the sponsorship of Jean Charles welcoming. Every person we met in the industry Boisset, owner of Buena Vista Winery. was truly inspirational.” Ramsay Payton, The cities officially became Sister Cities Sonoma-Tokaj STSCC intern in Hungary in 2014. (Second from when the two mayors signed an left in photo below) agreement on August 31, 2012 in Sister Cities Sonoma, California. Committee The Sonoma-Tokaj Sister Cities Committee operates under the auspices of the Sonoma Sister Cities Association (SSCA), a registered nonprofit association (Federal Tax ID # 68-0108056) Committee Members Sylvia Toth, Committee Co-Chair Cultural Exchange Joan Toth, Committee Co-Chair Delegates from the Sister Cities committee in Csaba Victor Szendi, Vice Chair Ibolya Ligotti, Secretary Sonoma and Tokaj rotate visits biannually. The Tom Blackwood, Treasurer Fostering Global Citizen most recent delegation from Tokaj included five George Webber, Public Relations high school students and their chaperones. Evie Benko Duncan Diplomacy Carole Martinson Clarice Stasz Nancy Wever Sonoma, California USA Eva Voisin, Honorary Counsel General of & Tokaj, Hungary Hungary in San Francisco Balázs Humayer, Chair, Tokaj-Sonoma Egyesület For more information and meeting schedules contact: [email protected] Find us on Facebook at Sonoma Sister Cities -Tokaj www.sonomasistercitiesassociation.org Cultural Education The Sonoma-Tokaj Committee regularly hosts and participates in Bay Area events of Hungarian historical significance. We hosted a panel discussion commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and recently welcomed the Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. László Szabó, to Sonoma. Máté Kerekes - Tokaj intern at Buena Vista Winery (2013) The Tokaj Wine Region The Legendary Tokaj wine The town of Tokaj (pop. 5,000) is located in In 1703, King Louis XIV of France, tasted Tokaji the historic wine region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Aszú, the signature fragrant and delicious wine, northeastern Hungary at the confluence of and named it: "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum" the Tisza and Bodrog Rivers. In 2002 the (“The wine of kings, the king of wines”). This has Tokaj wine region and cultural landscape been the motto of Tokaj wine ever since. In With the Ambassador at Buena Vista Winery were designated as a UNESCO World recent years, Tokaj has greatly expanded its Heritage Site. The vineyards date to at least production of other varietals. It is world- Scholarship Program for Sonoma the 12th century AD. renowned for its production and global export of Valley High School There are many similarities between Hungarian oak wine barrels. Each year, we contribute to a scholarship fund Sonoma and Tokaj, including the existence of sponsored by the Sonoma Sister Cities volcanic and clay soil, and mild climate. Both Association, designed to help fund the college are major tourist destinations. With many studies of a Sonoma Valley High School Hungarians living in Sonoma and the Bay student who excels in language studies. Area, as well as throughout California, it is only fitting that these two wine industry towns Fundraising Activities be joined in friendship and citizen diplomacy. All proceeds from our fundraisers benefit our programs and showcase Tokaj as a wine Hungary's Gift to Sonoma region, as well as Hungary's cultural assets. We are thankful to Jean-Charles Boisset and Sonoma’s Buena Vista Winery was founded his team at Buena Vista Winery, Obsidian Wine in 1857 by Ágoston Haraszthy, He is known Co., En Garde Winery, Kohler & Frohling, Blue as the Father of California Viticulture since Danube Wines and many Sonoma Valley he was the first to bring modern European businesses and individual donors for their vinicultural techniques to California, and Tokaj nestles on the Tisza and Bodrog Rivers continued support. imported European vines to the region. .