wein.plus is the largest and best-known European platform for all those with a passion for good wine. Utz Graafmann founded wein.plus in Erlangen in 1998 and has continued to develop it together with tasting manager Sam Hofschuster.
Today, more than 150,000 independent wine ratings from producers all over Europe can be accessed online and researched individually.
Right from the start, the goal of Utz Graafmann and Sam Hofschuster was: "We bring together private and professional members as like-minded people and share our passion with everyone who thinks and feels the same way. Both have been fighting for the best wines ever since - and with the deepest conviction.
wein.plus works with the aim of providing credible and independent information about wine. Utz Graafmann and Sam Hofschuster have therefore decided to act economically and editorially exclusively in the interests of the members. The team and the authors are therefore exclusively committed to the facts and the interest of information. They write and evaluate freely, as the topic or the wine deserves. Sam Hofschuster and his team therefore taste the wines exclusively blind and under strict conditions in a specially equipped tasting room in Erlangen. Wines are never evaluated at Wein-Plus while travelling, at trade fairs or in wineries.
This premise also gave rise to the world's most comprehensive Wine lexicon, which wein.plus members can use to expand their wine knowledge. It currently contains around 26,000 keyword articles, over 150,000 cross-references and thousands of pronunciation audios and translations.
Over the years, the wein.plus team has grown to over 20 members across Europe. Among them are tasters, wine experts and editors, sommeliers, IT experts, web designers and administrative and marketing professionals. Their wine experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles are completely different - and with this potential of ideas and perspectives, wein.plus works every day to open up surprising new ways to experience wine for its members. To this end, wein.plus has built up a strong community that offers every member many benefits, help, discounts and intensive dialogue among like-minded people.
The wine knowledge in the team is enormous - and it wants to share this knowledge with all members at all times.
That is why our claim, which we are happy to be measured against, is: wein.plus - your plus in wine expertise.