When Mike Costanzo, Jr., was born in 1983, his parents brought him home in a tiny Phillies jacket. About 22 years later, the Phillies drafted Costanzo, and when the third baseman appeared at a press conference at Citizens Bank Ballpark he held up that infant-sized tiny jacket he once wore.
While his dreams of playing for the Phillies never actually panned out, he’s finally made it back to the ballpark this season, albeit in a very different role via his family wine business.
After bouncing around the Phillies farm system and a few brief stints in the majors, Costanzo retired from baseball in 2014 to become an insurance agent. Then, inspiration struck during a 2022 visit with some family members who owned a winery in Italy.
“After my trip in 2022 and after careful consideration and testing the market here in the US, it made sense for me to take it over and build it into a potential global brand,” Costanzo told Billy Penn.
And thus, Briganti Wines arrived in the U.S. in May of 2023.
With his connections to members of the Phillies staff still intact, it was a natural bridge for the former draft pick to help the team in a different way.
“You’re talking to people you’ve already dealt with on a personal level and a baseball level, it makes it a little bit easier,” said Costanzo, who now lives in Center City.
“I’m really good friends with John Brazer,” he said of the ballpark’s director of fun and games. “I had a conversation with him and the same people that are there [now], were there when I was drafted. So, you walk into a tasting room to try them on it.”
“We had an opening in the wine category this season,” said Scott Nickel, the team’s director of corporate sales. “We were able to work out a marketing deal which allows Briganti Wines to promote itself as ‘A Preferred Wine of the Phillies.’”
The wines are now sold in 250ml cans at the stadium’s concession stands, and in 750ml bottles in the suites.
“We work with the Phillies on all partnerships and are always trying to do what’s best for the fans,” said Kevin Tedesco, general Manager of Aramark at Citizens Bank Park. “We purchase all beer, wine and spirits the same as all retailers do: through the [Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board] stores, licensed distributors and suppliers.”
Costanzo said his father, Mike Sr., helps out with marketing and PR, and his girlfriend Lauren Collison “does a lot. She has about eight job titles.”
His company has 24 employees, six in Italy and 18 in the US, including truck drivers based in several states. One of the Italian employees is his COO, Massimiliano Geri, who also works as Costanzo’s translator (Costanzo says he knows enough Italian to be understood, especially if he uses his hands).
As for the brand name, Briganti translates to “thief,” but, Costanzo adds, “a good thief, like Robin Hood.”
Costanzo said advance orders of the wine were so large he had to acquire three more vineyards in Italy to meet the demand.
“We’re gonna be in eight states by the end of this month, up and down the East Coast,” he said.
Outside of the ballpark, Briganti Wines can be purchased in the Philadelphia region at Acme supermarkets, but not in state stores.
“I wanted to do the local grocery stores and make it more convenient for people,” said Costanzo. He added that he’s in negotiations with supermarket chains in the Pittsburgh area and in the southern region of the U.S.
In addition to being available at Phillies games, Briganti Wines can be purchased at Reading Phillies games and at Subaru Park in Chester, home of the Philadelphia Union. It’s also sold at Coastal Carolina University, Costanzo’s alma mater, in Conway, South Carolina. He said the product is “coming soon” to Daniel S. Frawley Stadium, home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
His company produces four red wines (including a rosé and sparkling rosé) and four whites. Costanzo said the wines are slightly different from those sold in Italy. “There were a couple different changes that we had to make for the American palette,” he said.
The wines are also available in cans at all venues.
“I promised everybody that the integrity of the wine wouldn’t change if we put it in the can, and Massimiliano Geri and chief administrator Paolo D’Orazio in Italy made sure of it. So it tastes the same, it’s the same exact juice, just a little different process in a can,” said Costanzo.
A long road back
Like lots of baseball players, Costanzo’s road back to the ballpark has been a winding journey.
In 2007, Costanzo was assigned to the Phillies AA team in Reading, PA. On opening night, his parents were there, along with as many as 50 family members, friends, and coaches. (A rising star, Reading area native Taylor Swift sang the National Anthem that night.)
In his first at-bat, he swung at the first pitch and hit it foul down the left-field line. The next pitch he homered to left-center. He finished second that season in the Eastern League in home runs, making him an attractive trade target for the Houston Astros. Costanzo went to Texas with two others, and the Phillies got All Star relief pitcher Brad Lidge, who played a big role in the team winning the World Series in 2008.
About a month after being traded to Houston, the Astros sent Costanzo to Baltimore. He would eventually make his major league debut in 2012 with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter. He recorded his first hit at Yankee Stadium, with his parents in attendance. He singled, and Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, knowing it was his first hit, tossed the ball to the Reds dugout. When Costanzo reached second base, Jeter told him, “Nice hit.”
His parents, Mike Sr. and Rhonda Costanzo, who live in Glen Mills, still have much of their son’s memorabilia from college and the minor leagues. They had jobs with flexible schedules, and frequently traveled to see their son play in college, the minors and in the big leagues.
“I gave my first hit ball to my dad and my bat from my first at-bat, on Mother’s Day, which had her name on it, I gave to my mom,” said Costanzo.
