Chris Costello (Beta Alpha/UCLA 1997), of Kosta Browne Winery in Sonoma, CA, recently celebrated the announcement that Kosta Browne's 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was named Wine Spectator Magazine's 2011 Wine of the Year.
Costello started out in real estate after graduation, but formed a partnership with winery owners Dan Kosta and Michael Browne in 2001 and became part-owner shortly thereafter. Costello used his business sense - fomed during his time as an economics major at UCLA and later honed during his years in the real estate industry - to grow the then-fledgling winery's customer base and business strategy over the years. Congratulations, brother!