The Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee was established in April of 2012 by local and Bay Area Hungarians under the sponsorship of Jean Charles Boisset, owner of Buena Vista Winery. The cities officially became Sister Cities when the two mayors signed an agreement on August 31, 2012 in Sonoma, California. Read on for the details that led to this amazing partnership.

The Hungarians included Dr. Sandor Fazekas, the Rural Development Minister of Hungary and a member of the Hungarian cabinet; Hungarian Ambassador to the Western United States: Balazs Bokor, and several Tokaj wine industry principles. On the Sonoma side were the new owner of Buena Vista: Mr. Jean-Charles Boisset, Mr. Tom Blackwood: Director of Retail Operations for Buena Vista Winery, and Mr. George Webber: The Count at Buena Vista Winery. It was agreed by all that to foster commercial and cultural relationships between these two famous winery towns the formation of a Sister City would increase the possibilities of success.

2018 intern Kevin Valencia in the fields of Hetszolo Winery in Tokaj

By April of 2012 the City Councils of both Sonoma and Tokaj had voted to approve this relationship, and the Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee was born! Its members include prominent Hungarian-Americans from all over the Greater Bay Area, dedicated to Citizen Diplomacy between Sonoma, USA, and Tokaj, Hungary—-with an appreciation and celebration of the person who continues to be a direct link between these towns: Count Agoston Haraszthy.

The Committee Officers

Among our many members we are thrilled to include these important Hungarian-Americans:

• Honorary Consul General of Hungary in San Francisco: Ms. Eva Voisin
• Honorary Consul General of Hungary in Sacramento: Mr. Nicholas Bartsch
• President of the Hungarian American Foundation: Dr. Sandor Vegh

Committee secretary Ibolya Ligotti and her husband Carlo showcase Hungarian holiday treats at the annual Sonoma Sister Cities Holiday party

Mission Statement

Recognizing the historical, viticultural ties between Sonoma and Tokaj dating back to the mid 19th century when Agoston Haraszthy settled in Sonoma and became the Father of California Viticulture, the mission of the Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee is to create bonds for both Hungarian and American economic and cultural exchanges to benefit both cities. The goal of the Committee is to promote mutual respect and understanding between Tokaj and Sonoma through access to wine culture, education, business, trade and partnership building.

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.

Máté Kerekes – the first intern from Tokaj, at Buena Vista Winery (2013)

“It was truly a life-changing experience for me. The winemakers that were part of the program could not have been more friendly and welcoming. Every person we met in the industry was truly inspirational.”  Ramsay Payton, STSCC intern in Hungary in 2014.  (Second from left in photo below)

Cultural Exchange

Delegates from the Sister Cities committee in Sonoma and Tokaj rotate visits biannually. The most recent delegation from Tokaj included five high school students and their chaperones (pictured at right).

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 60^th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and recently welcomed the Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. László Szabó, to Sonoma (pictured left).

Scholarship Program for Sonoma Valley High School

Each year, we contribute to a scholarship fund sponsored by the Sonoma Sister Cities Association, designed to help fund the college studies of a Sonoma Valley High School student who excels in language studies.

Fundraising Activities

The Sonoma-Tokaj committee’s co-chair Sylvia Toth welcomed the Hungarian Hussars to the fundraiser

All proceeds from our fundraisers benefit our programs and showcase Tokaj as a wine region, as well as Hungary’s cultural assets.   We are thankful to Jean-Charles Boisset and his team at Buena Vista Winery, Obsidian Wine Co., En Garde Winery, Kohler & Frohling, Blue Danube Wines and many Sonoma Valley businesses and individual donors for their continued support.

The Bay Area’s Corvinus Chorus performed Hungarian chorale music at the 2018 fundraiser

Hungary’s Gift to Sonoma

Agostan Haraszthy – father of modern California viticulture

Sonoma’s Buena Vista Winery was founded in 1857 by Ágoston Haraszthy, He is known as the Father of California Viticulture since he was the first to bring modern European vinicultural techniques to California, and imported European vines to the region.

Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American nobleman, adventurer, traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the “Father of California Viticulture,” or the “Father of Modern Winemaking in California.” He was the founder of the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, California, and an early writer on California wine and viticulture (Wikipedia). Aug 30, 1812 – July 06, 1869.

For more information visit:

https://buenavistawinery.com/about-us/the-entire-story/