Quality Wine
- © AWMB
The term 'Qualitätswein' or Quality Wine, may only apply to wines produced from a single variety or blend of the 35 classified quality wine varieties, and from a legally defined wine-growing area of a specific region (Quality Wine S.R.).
The State wine authorities inspect all quality wine and the designation on the label is the State Control Number (referred to as the Prüfnummer). Quality wine is bottled with the highly visible red-white-red banderole (representing the Austrian flag) capsule.
The minimum must weight of quality wine is 15° KMW (Klosterneuburg Must Weight, 1KMW roughly equals 5°Oechsle), and the maximum permitted yield is 9,000 kilograms of grapes per hectare or 67.5 hectolitres per hectare. If a quality wine has a must weight of at least 17° KMW with a maximum natural alcohol of 13%, it may be classed as a 'Kabinett' wine.
The generic wine-growing areas Niederösterreich, Burgenland, Steiermark and Wien (Vienna) form the basis of Austria's mixed bunch of quality wines. Using these designations, producers may cultivate any of the 35 varieties and produce any style of wine they desire.
- © AWMB
Generic Level | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Niederösterreich | Burgendland | Steiermark | Wien |
Range and Diversity | |||
Other Federal States in Austria:
Smaller areas of cultivated vineyards do exist in the remaining Federal States of Austria. As long as these wines fulfil the national criteria for the production of quality wine (are produced with an authorised grape variety and carry the state control number), these wines will have the name of the Federal State printed on the label.