Beyond wine: Sonoma delegates toast anime, forge new bonds in Hangzhou

Hangzhou is buzzing with the spirit of partnership as the 2025 China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference kicks off! The city is playing host to many American delegates, including a special couple from California's wine country. Peggy Bridget Rubens, chair of the Sonoma-Penglai Sister City Committee, and her husband were utterly captivated by their visit to the China Cartoon and Animation Museum. But the collaboration didn't stop at the silver screen. Inspired by their journey, Rubens is already uncorking new ideas for Sonoma's partnership with Penglai in Shandong, proposing an exciting blend of cultural exchange and, of course, a shared toast to advancing the art of winemaking.