The year 2020 was a stressful and challenging one for all of us. While we cannot hold any gatherings we wanted everyone to know that the Sonoma-Tokaj Sister Cities group is very much thinking of the future of our projects. We wanted to share with you where things stand.

March 7, 2020 was our fundraiser, which was a major success, and we thank all those who attended for your support. Because of the current pandemic, we were not been able to execute our other planned programs in 2020, including our signature Wine Student Internship Program that fosters exchange between Sonoma and Tokaj wineries, and cultural awareness programs. We had also planned to send a delegation of Sonoma-Tokaj committee members to Tokaj in June 2020, but of course we had to cancel that trip.

We have had nine students participate in the Wine Student Internship program and many have continued successfully with their careers in the wine industry.  We do keep in touch with many of the interns and it is always a pleasure to hear of their progress and successes.

The first student we sent from Sonoma was Ramsay Payton in 2014. While his visit to Hungary was a cultural program, and he did not work in Tokaj, his experience gave him the courage to make his own wine. We call that a success story! Our 2016 intern, Kathryn Aronson, worked in Tokaj, and traveled more throughout Europe. She eventually went back to Tokaj, married a Hungarian and now manages the Hétszölö Tasting Room in the center of town.

Two of the interns working at Buena Vista and DeLoach Wineries decided to take a different route. Máté Kerekes, our first intern who came to Sonoma in 2013, became a librarian, but he does hope to get back into working in the vineyards. Our last intern from Tokaj, Bence Csáji is studying marketing at the University of Debrecen. Peter Majoros, one of the interns working in Sonoma in 2017, a very stressful time given the fires, has been working in management of the vineyards for Royal Tokaji Winery since February 2020. He oversees more than 200 acres of vines and is very happy with the position, his coworkers, and the stability of the winery in these difficult economic times. At the same time, he also works on his family’s small 8-acre vineyard.

Finally, our intern from Sonoma, Kevin Valencia, worked in Tokaj in 2018. Kevin has always wanted to become a sommelier and has been working at Single Thread, a three Michelin star restaurant in Healdsburg. We asked him to give us an update of his status and this is what he wrote – “…I’m lucky to be working for a business that is great at shifting and adapting the business in these unpredictable times. I’ve been learning more about the company and its future plans that are very exciting. I see a lot of new opportunities and room to grow individually and within the company. I’m currently serving wine to guests on the rooftop wine bar that we just opened. I’m learning so much about wine, service, and leadership from our wine director who runs the rooftop wine bar with me and looking forward to the future.”

Unfortunately, given the pandemic we were unable to send an intern from Sonoma to Tokaj as planned last year, but we are all looking forward to working together in 2021 to make it the best year ever. While everything is uncertain at this point, we are hoping to do an exchange of interns next year and maybe even send a delegation to Tokaj. We will begin planning in early 2021 and hope our plans will materialize.

Best wishes to you all for a safe and healthy 2021!

 

Sonoma Tokaj Sister Cities Committee Members

Joan Toth & Sylvia Toth, Co-Chairs

Csaba Victor Szendi, Vice Chair

Tom Blackwood, Treasurer

Ibolya Ligotti, Secretary

George Webber, Public Relations

Evie Benko Duncan

Mathesy Csaky

Clarice Stasz