WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

WITH WINE COUNTRY CONNECTION AND

DAN KOSTA

A Conversation with Wine Entrepreneur Dan Kosta

WCC: What is your favorite varietal to work with, and why?

DK:  I still like to work with Burgundian varietals, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The older I get, the more I appreciate the subtleties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir even more. In the old days, we extracted quite a bit of intensity from Pinot Noir in the mid-2000s. Now, I enjoy exploring the cooler regions of the Sonoma Coast, for example, to achieve nuance with Pinot Noir. I love the elegance and the diversity of Pinot Noir, either on its own or as a wine paired with food.

WCC: In your experience, what proves to be the most challenging aspect of being a winemaker?

DK:  Being a vintner continues to present challenges, both old and new. On the business side, we always want consistency with vineyards and commitments to growers and their commitment to us. As we age, we learn to have systems in place where we can so that we’re not reinventing the wheel every vintage. However, we allow ourselves flexibility and nimbleness where we need to adapt to external forces. We tend to be relatively consistent and traditional with our winemaking, so we have a pretty good idea of how we want to make our wine regarding farming and vinification. Still, the challenge is always to dance with Mother Nature. For example, we chose not to make wine in 2020. This vintage was a wildfire year, and we made wine, but we decided not to release the wine due to a lower standard than what we are used to. That was pretty painful, and there was nothing that we could do about it. Those things we cannot control continue to pose the most significant challenges.

WCC: How do you approach creating a new wine, and what factors influence your decisions in the winemaking process?

DK:  We mainly stick to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, so for the most part, we do not work with other varietals. That said, we have three different brands. The first brand is Admire, the second is Convene, and the third is DK Grail. All of those wines are relatively new for our company. Each of those brands has a different feel to it. They are unique, considering their vineyard sources. But if we use DK Grail, for example, which is our newest brand, that is a barrel select program where all of our single-vineyard bottlings live. There is the highest standard possible for these wines, whether it is fruit sourcing, barrel program, packaging, distribution, etc. Convene is more of a Premier Cru-styled brand where our blends live, and those are more winemaker wines where we can play different vineyards off each other without the limits of a single vineyard bottling. Our final brand, Admire, is a concept that is very new to me in that it is a $30 bottle of wine that I was never able to make before, whether with DK Wine Group or Kosta Browne. This opportunity excites me because we get to reach more people than we would if we just had Convene or DK Grail. So, we are consistent with our wine-making techniques. Making a new wine concept is more like creating a new brand, so it’s more business-oriented, challenging, and keeps things fresh.

WCC: Are there any specific trends or innovations in the wine industry that you’re least excited about and why?

DK:  This question is fascinating and invariably will get a subjective answer. I’m somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to winemaking. You can see that as I stick with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the same wines I’ve always made. It’s not to say that I’m not adventurous, but I think there’s not much new under the sun with wine. So I can’t find much of a taste for natural wine, orange wines, or pet nat. If it works for other people, that’s great. It’s just something that I’m not interested in. I think it’s noble to be as natural as possible, but considering that wine is a controlled rot, we must have some intervention to make these wines stable, enjoyable, and cellar-worthy. I wish everyone who is that adventurous all the luck in the world, but I’m sticking with what I know best.

WCC: Can you share a unique aspect about yourself that people may not be aware of?

DK: I don’t talk about it too much, but I love playing the piano, and I’ll break into song occasionally. I was a music major briefly in college, which was great. That would’ve been an exciting road to travel. But all of that time in my life and my appreciation of music is conducive to winemaking and the appreciation of art and expression.

Here are some of Dan Kosta’s wines. Click on the name to read more.

CONVENE 2019 PINOT NOIR CAMPBELL RANCH VINEYARD – Retails at $74 – Click here to view Your Price (Savings Applied Automatically at Checkout)

CONVENE 2021 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY CHARDONNAY – $55

ADMIRE 2022 SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR – $32