Winery Koppitsch

In 2011, Alexander Koppitsch and Maria Strohmayer founded their winery, which today comprises 5.5 hectares. Even though the estate is small and their project still young, their range of wines is impressively diverse—and with all the ongoing experiments and ideas still taking shape or waiting in the wings, it's set to grow even further.

Alex Koppitsch and Maria Strohmayer have been making wine since 2011—or more precisely, Alex makes the wine, while Maria is mainly responsible for communication. At a winery that only recently began making waves, this role is arguably just as important as the wine itself. Maria regularly sends out newsletters—sometimes quite long ones—because the two are constantly full of ideas that they tend to follow through on without hesitation.

Their latest update, for example, ran to eight pages. In short, it announced that going forward, they will no longer display grape varieties on their labels. Instead, they’ll focus entirely on the power of their terroir. While the grape varieties will still play an important role, the emphasis will shift to the characteristics of their different soils. It’s a bold move in itself—made even braver by the fact that, due to Austria’s flawed wine classification system, they’re not even allowed to print their vineyard names on the labels.

PERSPECTIVES

With the new vintage, several different wine lines are being introduced, each linked to a particular style and vineyard origin. The “Perspektive” series currently includes two wines, both from the Neuberg site—one of the most fascinating vineyard locations in northern Burgenland. Located northwest of Neusiedl, it’s geologically (and politically, in wine terms) part of the Leithaberg, and is primarily composed of limestone and schist. Through organic farming and gentle vinification, Alex and Maria aim to give these soils a voice in the wine.

Out in the vineyards, Alex works much like his grandfather once did—he spent much of his childhood at his side among the vines. The same spirit informs his approach in the cellar, where he blends his grandfather’s deep-rooted farming wisdom with contemporary oenological understanding.

In other words: he works outdoors with consistency, responsibility, and sustainability, using organic methods. Indoors, in the cellar, he lets nature take its course, transforming the grapes into pure, uncompromising, and expressive wines with minimal intervention. All red and white wines ferment spontaneously without temperature control and are aged in a range of vessels—mainly 500-liter oak barrels. The wines remain in constant contact with the lees, which not only protect against oxidation without the need for additives but also add aromatic depth and textural complexity. Depending on the wine, Alex bottles after 1–2 years—unfined, unfiltered, and only rarely with a small addition of sulfur.

In addition to his still wines, Alex has also been producing a small range of Pét-Nats (naturally sparkling wines) for several years. Made using an old French method that’s currently enjoying huge popularity, these wines are bottled while still fermenting. As fermentation finishes inside the bottle, natural carbonation builds up, giving these juicy, fruit-forward wines a lively, effervescent character.

BEYOND WINE

Alex and Maria’s commitment to sustainability, ethics, and quality extends far beyond the cellar. They use recycled cardboard for their packaging and lightweight bottles for their wines—choices that may not fit the traditional image of stylish wine presentation but align perfectly with their worldview. After all, who really cares how fancy the box or how heavy the bottle is? What truly matters is what’s inside—and in that regard, the wines of Alexander Koppitsch and Maria Strohmayer now rank among the most authentic and exciting Austria has to offer.