Celebrating 26 Years of Leadership

Celebrating 26 Years of Leadership: Thank You, Beth Costa

After 26 incredible years with Wine Road, our Executive Director, Beth Costa, is retiring. While we’re excited for what’s ahead for her, it’s hard to imagine Wine Road without Beth at the helm.

From One-Person Operation to Thriving Organization

Beth joined Wine Road in 2000, at a time when the organization was much smaller and largely run by one person – Beth. Over the years, she grew Wine Road into the vibrant, connected, and widely recognized organization it is today, building a team, expanding programs, and always keeping the focus on what matters most: supporting our members and welcoming visitors to this remarkable region.

If you’ve ever followed a Wine Road map, attended one of our events, listened to the podcast, or discovered a new favorite winery along the way, you’ve experienced Beth’s impact.

A Lasting Impact on Wine Country

Beth’s contributions over the years are hard to overstate.

She helped raise more than $420,000 (and counting) for the Redwood Empire Food Bank, introduced the designated driver program at events long before it was common practice, and brought Wine Road to audiences far beyond Sonoma County through “Wine Road on the Road,” sharing our story in cities across the country.

She also had a way of evolving with the times while staying true to the heart of Wine Road. She embraced social media early, launched the Wine Road podcast (now nearly 250 episodes strong), and continuously finding new ways to connect wineries, lodgings, and visitors.

A Legacy Built on Connection

At the end of the day, Beth’s legacy is built on connection.

She built lasting relationships across the industry, created a true sense of community among our members, and made herself accessible to wineries, lodgings, visitors, and anyone who needed guidance or support. Through wildfires, a pandemic, and countless challenges, she remained a steady, thoughtful leader who always showed up for this community.

Looking Ahead (and Saying Thank You)

As Beth steps into retirement, she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family, something she has more than earned after more than two decades of dedication to Wine Road and the Northern Sonoma County wine community.

We will miss her leadership, her energy, and yes, her ability to wear more hats than anyone we know (there’s a reason her title is Executive Director/Ring Leader). But more than anything, we are grateful.

Beth has built a strong foundation that will continue to guide Wine Road into the future, and we are proud to carry that work forward.

Please join us in thanking Beth for her 26 years of dedication, vision, and heart.

And stay tuned: we’ll be introducing Wine Road’s new Executive Director here soon.