wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Alexander Lupersböck from Brunn am Gebirge (Austria) is considered a career changer in the wine industry; he has been working in the editorial team of wein.plus since April 2021. Because that is exactly what we want: Alexander is deeper in the subject than most of his colleagues, he has an enormous amount of knowledge, but is never blinded or biased.

Alexander Lupersböck

For wein.plus he observes trends, works on exciting topics from all over Europe, writes current news, supports Marcus Hofschuster with tasting logistics in Austria and develops concepts to offer even more benefits to members in Austria.

After studying geophysics, Alexander dedicated not only his profession but his life to wine. In the meantime, he has gained more experience with it than many who have followed the classic path with training and studies. For him, wine is not a profession, it is his passion. At the start of his career, he first worked in the trade for over ten years - for example at the wine chain Wein&Co as well as for renowned importers and wholesalers. During this time, he studied to become a wine academic, which he completed by passing the demanding WSET Level IV Diploma.

Since these years he has been working with and about wine - and this continuous change of perspective always opens up new angles, perspectives and insights for him. In 2006 he set up his own business and has since been leading seminars and beginners' tastings for the Rewe supermarket chain, which take place all over Austria. Since then he has also been active in publishing about wine. He wrote and tasted for the wine magazine wein.pur for many years and was then deputy editor-in-chief of the wine and culinary magazine GENUSS, responsible for its complete wine coverage. In addition, he has been evaluating wines from almost all Austrian wine-growing regions for the annual "Wein.pur Guide Österreich" since 2007. In the country's wine scene, therefore, there are very few winemakers left who do not know his name - and he has already met most of them personally anyway. But the academic-historical perspective has also changed his view: For the standard work "Wein in Österreich - Die Geschichte" (Wine in Austria - The History), edited by Willi Klinger and Karl Vocelka, he researched and wrote the chapter "Die Entwicklungen der Herkunftsbezeichnungen im österreichischen Weingesetz" (The Developments of Designations of Origin in Austrian Wine Law) together with Michael Moosbrugger.

Alexander is a wine freak from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, and this is also how his personal preferences have developed: The highest elegance and silkiness are particularly important to him. He highly appreciates, of course, Blaufränkisch and the characterful white wines from Austria. But there is also his passion for Bordeaux from good - and underestimated - years, for the wines from Etna and for great, ripe Riesling from Germany. One thing is certain: with this curiosity, he will discover in the future many more good things.

What is the biggest misconception about Austrian wine?

A wine with a rating below 90 points no longer counts for anything in Austria. The inflation of points is simply grotesque. Please don't misunderstand: There are more and more great and world-class wines in Austria - white, red and sweet. But with scores above 95 points, they have to be compared to the wine legends of the world. They are often not among them, even though the readers of some magazines are made to believe so. This exaggeration devalues the undoubtedly great wines of Austria. If very good, but not great wines already get 96 or 98 points - how should the ratings of the true Austrian legends turn out? Nevertheless, many producers are now personally offended when a good wine of theirs receives less than 90 points.
I would like to see a disarmament of the points, so that 87 to 89 points also get back the status they deserve: Because these are really good wines! And there is a huge selection of them in Austria at reasonable prices. By the way, even our really great wines are still very inexpensive by international standards - even if some wine lovers don't want to admit it.

Is there a wine that has changed your perspective on your work?

Yes. I can't remember what it was called, though. It was a nameless Beaujolais that had been sitting open in my mother-in-law's kitchen for days. When she asked me if it was still any good, I answered with my former wine arrogance, without even sniffing it: "No, you can get rid of it! The next day, my grandmother came to visit, and although she didn't understand my passion for wine, she accepted it. Suddenly my wife Kristin brought me a glass of red wine saying, "Grandma brought this, please taste it." I did and was pleasantly surprised, as she usually drank very simple wines. This wine, however, was fun to drink, it had structure. Well, it was the Beaujolais from her kitchen that had been open for days. She had outsmarted me. This lesson taught me to give every, really every wine its chance and to keep an open mind at all times. Arrogance is never appropriate.

A fairy godmother offers to grant you a wish, any wish. But it must only have to do with wine. What do you answer her?

Lifelong free access to the extremely interesting rarities tastings at Palais Coburg in Vienna would be a wonderful wine wish fulfilment!

Related Magazine Articles

View All
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More
More

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS