Sonoma Sister City in Hungary offers internship at winery

When Ramsay Peyton headed to Tokaj, Hungary, to serve as a winery intern through the Sonoma Sister Cities Association, he already had worked in wineries for several years.

But his internship in Tokaj took his knowledge of the winemaking process to a whole new level.

“He toured various grape regions of Hungary and learned about the different terroir and making of wine and tasting the different varietals,” said Sylvia Toth, co-chair of the association’s Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee. “He learned so much from his experience that it gave him the confidence to make his own wine.”

Another intern in the program, Kathryn Arohnson, was studying ecology at Santa Rosa Junior College at the time of her internship at Tokaj-Hetszolo Winery in Tokaj, but enjoyed it so much she decided to stay in Hungary and became tasting room manager there.

Peyton and Arohnson are among a handful of people who have served as interns in Tokaj as part of the sister cities relationship.

The Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee now is seeking another intern to serve in Tokaj in fall 2024, during the harvest season. The internship will begin around mid-August and can last until mid-to-late November, depending on the length of the harvest period.

The intern will work at Tokaj-Hetszolo Winery under the direction of CEO and master winemaker Gergely Makai, who is fluent in English.

“It is truly a great opportunity for someone starting out in the industry,” Toth said.

Candidates must be 21 or older and able to handle the harvest, cellar duties and other assignments. Experience working a crush at least once is preferred, but not required.

Anyone interested in serving as an intern must satisfy specific requirements and be able to fulfill certain responsibilities (see sidebar). Those interested in applying should send a resume and cover letter to Toth at sonomatokajsistercities@gmail.com by Sunday, April 19. For more information, call 707-938-0224.

The Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee will pay $2,000 toward airfare or other expenses, and the winery will provide free room and a choice of free board or the equivalent in payment. The intern also will receive a small stipend for leading English-language tours if they are requested.

Sister city members in Tokaj will arrange for the intern to attend cultural programs during the weekends and nonworking weekday hours.

“The interns get firsthand experience and hospitality of the people in Tokaj and their wonderful food,” Toth said. “Boating or kayaking on the nearby Bodrog River is always a definite plan. Close to Tokaj, the famous town of Eger and Egri Fort, and the nearby minaret show the influence of the 150-year Turkish occupation.

“Our last intern even sat in on a high school English class, helping out the students, who in turn taught him some Hungarian.”

George Webber, the public relations representative for the Sonoma-Tokaj Sister City Committee, lauds the virtues of Tokaj.

“It is one of the great wine capitals on earth; 500 years ago, the two best wine regions were Burgundy, France, and Tokaj,” Webber said. “Known as ‘King of Wines, the Wine of Kings,’ the sweet white wines of Tokaj are justly famous for their brilliant acidity and long life.

“Tokaj is a beautiful town — the same size as Sonoma, and towering over it is the volcanic mountain, Mount Tokaj.”

As part of the program, seven interns from Tokaj have served either at Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma or DeLoach Vineyards in Santa Rosa. Five of them continued to work in the wine business, both as winemakers and vineyard managers.

Webber said that most of Sonoma’s other sister cities are also in wine regions.

“This makes sense because the wine industry entails both commerce and culture,” he said. “Wine certainly provided a focus for delegate visits: It’s a big part of the sister cities experience. If the relationship really works, beneficial economic relationships may be created.”

The roots of Sonoma’s sister city relationship with Tokaj date back to 2011, when Webber was working at Buena Vista Winery, portraying its famous founder, Count Haraszthy. A trade and tourism mission from Tokaj — including government tourism officials, winery owners and wine importers and — visited the winery to help build relationships with the California wine industry.

“During a wine-filled afternoon luncheon in the caves, I jumped to my feet and proposed that Sonoma and Tokaj become sister cities,” Webber said. “Everyone agreed on the spot and within six months, it had been accomplished.”

The Sonoma-Tokaj Sister Cities Committee will hold its biennial fundraiser to support the internship program on Saturday, March 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Burlingame Hall, located at 252 Napa St. in Sonoma.

The event will include a traditional Hungarian dinner, Hungarian and Sonoma wines, entertainment, an auction and dancing. For more information, call 707-938-0224.

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonmanews.com.