Inside ICI


Sonoma


Valley of the Moon, Heart of Wine Country


by Erin Almaleh, Editor, INCAST Magazine


positive of mental attitudes. The holidays are packed away and you just hope for a sunny day that rises above single digit temperatures. You need to dig deep… and I’m not even talking about the snow. So when the executive director of


L


the Investment Casting Institute told me he was flying me to California for a few days, I was very excited. “I want you to go to Sonoma. We are having our Spring Meeting there in a few months.” he began. I could feel my body defrosting at the mere thought of the sunny west coast, but then I remembered something. “Sonoma? Where they just had all those


10 ❘ February 2018 ®


iving in New Jersey in the month of January can be a severe test for someone even with the most


fires?” I asked. “Yes, we need to show our guests that Sonoma is open for business and that everything we have planned for them was not affected,” he explained. I looked down at the agenda for the


ICI’s Spring Management Meeting on my desk… accommodations at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, a winery tour, a walking tour of Sonoma square and a golf outing. “You can count on me, I’ll do my best.” I replied with a smile that I thought should be contained to a small grin. After all, this was work.


Arriving in Sonoma Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, I looked back at the city of San Francisco and was not sure what to expect. Of


course I had heard of California wine country before, but I had never even been to a vineyard. Glancing at a billboard, I read, “Sonoma, Valley of the Moon.” I was intrigued.


Sonoma Valley was tucked between two mountain ranges and I couldn’t help but wonder what could be so great about this place? Slowly, the signs of city life began to


fade away and I found myself in awe of bright green pastures and livestock that could only be described as happy west coast cows.


I began to see rows and


rows of those famous grape vines and found myself in the heart of wine country. Note: The fires in California were to the north of Sonoma will not affect Spring Management Meeting activities.


I knew


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