THE SONOMA WINEGEESE GRAND TOUR

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The Sonoma WineGeese Tour
April 6-9, 2006

Sonoma in Spring with a group of wonderful WineGeese members - what a sensational experience for us all!

We were led by the revered Ted Murphy, President of The WineGeese Society along with Ken Gorman, John Sharkey and John Tillotson, Co- Chairmen of The Ireland Funds WineGeese Society. This was a return trip to the Northern California wine country for some of our 'Geese, who had travelled to Napa in 2004. We were delighted to see Mary and Dan Mulvilhill, Jeanette and Bob Dunfey, Lucetta and Bill Ganley, along with Helen and John Sharkey and Sylvia and John Tillotson back in the Bay Area.

There was a terrific spirit of camaraderie as everyone gathered together on the evening of Thursday April 6th for the Inaugural San Francisco WineGeese Dinner at the Pacific Union Club. National Board Members Craig Sullivan, Bart Murphy, Pauline Ryan and Bill Walsh were there to welcome everyone. They were joined by special friends of the Fund including Kathleen Ryan, Mary and Joe Toboni, Frank Sinnott, Sheila and Keith McWilliams and Vice-Consul General Una Fannon. Also present were Kingsley Aikins, CEO of The Ireland Funds, Ann and Waymonn Levell, John Ryan and Maryanne and John Murray. Guests were greeted heartily and John Sharkey proposed a special toast to the group. Then we enjoyed a most entertaining presentation by Patrick Meade of Bonhams & Butterfields on the world of wine at auctions.

The WineGeese spent the night at the historic Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, the grandaddy of Nob Hill's elite cadre of ritzy hotels, before departing for Sonoma on Friday morning. A bright start to the day, with everyone smiling as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County and made our way to the first tasting at Roche Estate Winery in the southern Sonoma Valley (Carneros). Our group expanded as we were joined by John and Pauline Ryan and Dr. Maureen O' Driscoll Levy. Mara Roche warmly welcomed us all and told wonderful stories about the winery with considerable vim. Her enthusiasm was contagious as she poured several varieties of wine including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Next stop was a tour and lunch at Limerick Lane Cellars in the Russian River, hosted by Michael Collins. Located on the eastern edge of the Russian River Valley, the vineyard dates back to 1910. We stood by some of those old vines as Michael described the history of this Zinfandel-producing estate. Although Michael's roots link him to Co. Limerick, the address pre-dates his arrival. By the time we reached Gary Farrell Vineyards, the rain was coming down in torrents! The weather couldn't dampen our spirits, however, as we listened to Debbie and Gary Farrell describe in great detail the unique aspects of their winery, while we explored their magnificent production facility. This Russian River Valley vineyard was voted "Artisan Winery of the Year" by Wine & Spirits Buying Guide in 2004. It enjoys a spectacular location, perched high on a hill, overlooking the Valley and the view from the tasting room is magical. Gary his known for his Pinot Noir wines and they were extremely pleasing to us all.

Our base in Sonoma was the Hotel Healdsburg, right on the square, and we had a delicious dinner that night catered by Dry Creek Kitchen at the hotel, home of nationally acclaimed chef Charlie Palmer. Special guests were Dale and Nydia Goode (of Murphy-Goode Winery) and Michael Collins of Limerick Lane. John Tillotson acted as master of ceremonies and toasted our new friends warmly.

Saturday had a succession of high points. We began our morning at Murphy-Goode Estate in the Alexander Valley and were treated to a cordial welcome and a first-class tour of the winery by Doreen Murphy and her son, Denis Murphy. Founder Tim Murphy visited Ireland some years ago with Doreen, before he passed away, and WineGeese Society President Ted Murphy spoke highly of this special pair. This winery is known for its Reserve Fume and Reserve Chardonnay as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The Irish flag fluttered in the distance as we drove towards Oakwild Ranch where Mary and Joe Toboni of Toboni Vineyard pulled out all the stops to make our time with them unforgettable. What a place! Mary, a 4th generation San Franciscan, told us about her Irish roots while Joe described the Vineyard from the beginning. It is a dream come true for this charming pair, a spectacular Victorian style wine country home, surrounded by 25 acres producing top-notch Pinot Noir grapes for local wineries, including Gary Farrell. Mary served up a scrumptious lunch and Joe poured copiously while Italian opera music played in the background and the sun made a warm appearance as we strolled through the vines - it was hard to leave! As Bill Ganley said, "What makes all this so special is the people"; and our hosts throughout the trip went above and beyond to make our time with them priceless.

The piece de resistance was our evening at the Mayacama Club, a world-class private golf club, hosted by Kerry Murphy of Du Mol Winery. Kerry and his wife Margie brought us down to the wine vaults where we began our tasting with an extraordinary chardonnay. Not surprisingly, these wines sell out at or prior to release. Over dinner, we had the exquisite pleasure of tasting a Pinot Noir (Eddie's Patch) and a Finn. Ken Gorman made a special toast before Kerry and Margie were inducted into the Order of the WineGeese.

"From wine what Wondrous Friendship Springs" goes the motto of the WineGeese Society and that was certainly the case on our Sonoma trip, with such good-natured easy friendliness all round. A terrific group of wonderful people came to together for a few days of wine and fun and left with a new appreciation for Sonoma and a genuine fondness for one another. Next stop for the WineGeese will be Australia in 2007 - stay tuned!