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Dan Kosta

Flavorful Pinot Noirs

Editors’ Note

Dan Kosta began his career in fine dining, working for Santa Rosa, California’s John Ash & Co., eventually becoming the restaurant’s Operations Manager and Wine Director. Kosta has also consulted for restaurants in California’s Sonoma County and sits on the boards of directors for the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and the Sonoma County Board of Tourism. He also participates as a judge for the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, Grand Harvest Awards, and the weekly wine section of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

company brief

Based in Sebastopol, California, Kosta Browne Winery (www.kostabrowne.com) was founded in 1997 by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. Kosta Brown’s single vineyard wines are produced under three appellations – Sonoma Coast, Russian River, and Santa Lucia Highlands – and include pinot noir, syrah, and rosé of pinot varieties.

How did the Kosta Browne Winery get its start?

We began Kosta Browne in 1997, while Michael Browne and I were working at the John Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa, California. We both shared the same passion – not just for wine, but for pinot noir specifically. Naturally, our first vintage of wine consisted of one barrel of Russian River Valley pinot noir. We started to sell our wines, beginning with the 1999 vintage. Due to the costs involved, it was very difficult to get off the ground with pinot noir, so we launched our brand with sauvignon blanc, allowing us to sell the first vintage within the year, rather than sitting on two vintages’ worth of inventory. In 2000, we were back in the pinot noir business, making just a couple hundred cases, in addition to the 3,000 cases of sauvignon blanc. In 2001, we began our exclusive focus on pinot noir. Today, we have a total of 10 pinot noirs from around California. Three of these wines are blends and the remaining seven are single vineyard designates.

Are you happy with Kosta Browne’s brand awareness in the market?

We could not be happier with the brand awareness that we have achieved, considering our relatively short time in this business. With that said, we are always striving to spread the word to the more wine-starved regions of the country. Although our wines are allocated, we feel that brand recognition is quite important in the long run, and there are many untapped consumers, both experienced and novice. Most experienced wine consumers have now heard of Kosta Browne, whether they have tried our wines or not. We owe that to early brand marketing and recent acknowledgement in the country’s leading wine publications.

How do you define what makes Kosta Browne wines unique?

We have always had confidence in the style in which we run our business. Regarding wine style, we seem to have satisfied a need for very flavorful pinot noirs, which previously did not exist in great numbers. We saw what Siduri, Williams Selyem, and others were doing to change the pinot noir industry, and we felt that they were on the right track. We took their lead and created a Kosta Browne style that is completely focused on making the tastiest, most complex wine we can. On the marketing side, we have shied away from reliance on distributors to sell our wine. We knew that with the amount of competition out there, our message was going to be best delivered to our customers one-on-one. We invited many people out to the winery for tours. We offered our wine to avid enthusiasts who were looking for the next best thing. We had an inside track on these consumers from our restaurant tenure. It involved phone calls and e-mails to our customers, not just our distributors. However, we treated our distributors with respect, and we considered them part of the team. Although our distributors did not get a lot of our wine, they were integral in assisting me with restaurant placements in markets I was unfamiliar with.

What are Kosta Browne’s key markets?

The best market for our winery is quite simply our direct consumers. This year, we’ll offer 90 percent of our production to our mailing list customers. In our three-tier distribution system, our wines are also allocated, so our sales are limited by our production. Our best markets are defined by the quality of our distributors and their willingness to place our wine in the best restaurants. New York, Chicago, Colorado, Arizona, and California, of course, have all proven to be valuable, high-profile markets.

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A Kosta Browne Sonoma Voast Pinot Noir

Are you happy with your current distribution channels?

It has taken many years to tweak and adjust our distribution channels. We are fortunate to be in a position where we have 100 percent control over our distribution. My relationships with my distributors has grown and matured, and our communication and teamwork has developed very nicely.

How has technology impacted your business?

Technology has enabled us to serve our direct customers more efficiently. Software for wineries running allocation systems is a relatively new thing. On the surface, one would think that allocating wine would be quite simple, but in reality, it is much more complex than regular sales ever was. Our new software allows us to categorize customers and track purchase histories, offers us numerous filters for reporting, assists in e-mail communication, and so on. It’s quite an efficient system. Technology has benefited the production of our wine as well. The winemaking process is much cleaner and much more efficient. Of course, new winemaking toys are fun, but they also save time and are gentler on our fruit, allowing us to make more elegant, expressive wines.

Did you develop your interest in wine at an early age?

I had my first wine when I was five. Don’t tell the authorities. Wine has always been around in my family.

What are your key priorities for the brand in the coming year?

Our primary goals are always to maintain the quality of our wine and nurture our mailing list. We are leveling off our production. So now it’s time to hone all of our successes. We have paid more attention to detail on the production side. On the public relations side, we have been participating avidly in charity wine auctions throughout the country. We are very fortunate to be able to offer value to auction lots in order to raise money for great causes. Michael and I are not ones to rest. In the wine business – or any business for that matter – there is always room for improvement.