Dan Kosta

Dan Kosta’s roots in the wine and hospitality run deep, waiting tables in high school and college, continuing on to manage some of the finest restaurants in California.  In the summer of 1997, while working at John Ash & Co. restaurant in Santa Rosa, California, Dan and Michael Browne decided to venture into winemaking. They saved tip money for two months and eventually had enough to buy a half ton of Pinot Noir, a used barrel and an old hand-crank stemmer-crusher, a purchase that marks the beginning of Kosta Browne Winery. Since that vintage, Dan has nurtured relationships with the best growers and honed his winemaking skills, making sure to focus on the vision and values with which he began his 25-year career in the fine wine industry.

In 2013, Dan and Alden Lagasse founded AldenAlli Winery, producing small, nuanced bottlings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel.  Dan’s newest chapter includes the 2022 launch of Convene Winery, devoted to elegant blends of Pinot Noirs from the best vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations of Sonoma County, complimented with a Chardonnay program that strives to capture the shine, elegance and history of the most sought-after vineyards in Sonoma County.

Dan Kosta is a native of Sonoma County where wine became an integral part of his life at the age of 5, learning about the enjoyment of wine from his father. At home, wine was served at nearly every dinner and discussion of wine always accompanied the pour. At his dad’s wine shop in Santa Rosa, Dan learned about labels, varietals and style. Later, Dan followed his passion for food and worked for more than 15 years in fine dining, with the majority of his experience gained at John Ash & Co. in Santa Rosa, California. He worked every position imaginable at the restaurant, finally landing as the Operations Manager and Wine Director.

Dan has consulted for restaurants in the Sonoma County area and has served 10 years on the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Vintners Association, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, among many other philanthropic organizations.

Dan spends a majority of his time traveling the country attending charitable events where the brand partners with many organizations. “I love how wine and food bring people together (Convene!) and feel very fortunate where we can play a role in helping many worthy causes,” says Dan.

When not behind the scenes of a working winery or on the road, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, Katie and three young children, Mazie, Maggie, and Sean, along with Katie and Dan’s newest addition to family, coming October of 2022!