This article originally appeared in the October issue of NCGA Golf Magazine

Golf and wine have been the twin passions that have consumed Napas vintner Mitch Cosentino’s life

 By Martin Kaufmann

To the tourists who visit Napa Valley, the winemaking industry undoubtedly seems exciting, even glamourous. The reality is quite different, especially in 2025. 

“We’re like the golf business was before COVID, maybe worse. It’s amazing what it did for golf,” said Mitch Cosentino, referring to the dramatic spike in participation since 2020. 

Cosentino is the man behind pureCru wines and, before that, Cosentino Winery. It’s not surprising that he drew an analogy to golf given that the game and wine have been the two passions that have consumed his life. 

He’s been making some of Northern California’s most innovative wines for 45 years, so he’s seen it all. But he’s never seen the wine industry buffeted by so many negative trends, as young consumers switch to hard seltzers, microbrews or other products. And now tariffs have driven up the cost of critical supplies, such as French oak barrels. 

“We’ve had these ups and downs before, but this is by far the worst,” Cosentino said. “I have clients who aren’t crushing grapes this year, and some of them didn’t do it last year. There’s too much backlog of product.”

When I first met Cosentino 20 years ago, Napa Valley was riding high, thanks in part to a wonderful 2005 vintage. I was there to write a story about Napa’s golf and wine scene, and Cosentino had the reputation for being the best stick in the wine community. In fact, he briefly worked as a club pro at Manteca Park Golf Course in the Central Valley after graduating in 1974 from the University of California – Sacramento (now more commonly known as Sacramento State). But he quickly realized that wasn’t the path for him.

“I love the game too much to want to work it,” he said.

During my visit, Cosentino showed me around his club, Eagle Vines, where he still plays most of his golf. He looked every bit the part of the former college golfer whose game was aging like – well, a fine wine. Though slight of build, Cosentino was surprisingly long off the tee, always played from the middle of the fairway and never seemed to face anything worse than a stress-free par. 

At that time, Cosentino was approaching his mid-50s and on the verge of playing the best golf of his life. By 2007, he was playing to a +4 and recalls posting a couple of 8-unders on par-72 layouts. Now 73, Cosentino concedes his handicap “has gone from the plusses to the other way – to about a 3. But I’m still working on my game.”

In his winemaking, Cosentino is known for being more artist than technician. A self-taught winemaker, Cosentino always has pushed the envelope, including bottling California’s first Meritage wines in the 1980s, less than a decade after launching his business. 

Those same artistic instincts are evident when he steps on the golf course. 

“I am at my best when playing shots. Playing by feel is big – more so than just hitting stock shots,” Cosentino said. “This is a reason I am against rolling the ball back, because it will affect ‘feel’ players and require them to almost relearn those shots. Full stock shots are based on a specific yardage – that’s somewhat clinical. So yes, my play is more like I make my wines, relying on feel that is creative and artistic.”

In recent decades, Cosentino has been as immersed in golf as anyone can be without collecting a paycheck. For years he tested golf balls from various manufacturers and published his annual study for players looking for a competitive advantage. He occasionally helps pal Bobby Grace, the putting entrepreneur, do fittings. A modest venture with Fred Couples in the late 2000s gave birth, in a roundabout way, to pureCru. And for two decades Cosentino provided the wine for the annual Golf Writers Association of America dinner during Masters week. 

Until recent years, Cosentino also was a regular at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, scouring every aisle for innovative products. The best night of each PGA Show was meeting Cosentino, Grace and other friends for dinner. Mitch would open his newest wines, pair them with each course, and share his thoughts on the coolest products he had seen on the show floor. 

Even if you’re not a connoisseur, Cosentino’s big, bold wines tend to stand out in a crowded market, reflecting his winemaking philosophy.

“We’re always trying to maximize the essence of the grape itself. Or in the case of blends, we would try to maximize the concept and the style,” Cosentino said. “By doing that, you always have to focus on balance. The problem that I see with a lot of popular wines is that if you don’t have balance, you have nothing. … We age wines so that they’re not going to get too tart. We still have structure. I have white wines that I’m still drinking from the 1990s.” 

When we talked recently, Cosentino was still talking about new winemaking concepts he’s employing at pureCru – he’s particularly excited about his 98-point Brut Rosé – while helping other winemakers put magic in a bottle. He also was preparing to go to the practice range at Eagle Vines to help a friend work on his game. 

“I still enjoy the business, and I want to do what I can enjoy,” Cosentino said. “Golf and wine are what I do.”