Understanding Austrian Wine Quality Levels

• Posted on 11 July 2024
• Posted in Austria, Gruner Veltliner, Riesling
• 0

In the most broad sense, a winery’s location determines the wine laws it may choose to follow. The question basically comes down to how a winery label their wines. Or how do they choose to label their wines? Why is this so important? A label can express a level of quality or the basic amount of production element done to that wine to achieve that level of quality. If done well, the customer can have a legitimate amount of confidence in what is purchased, be it a high-end bottle or an every day table wine. The level of quality expressed, like many other parts of economics, will translate to the amount of money a customer would be willing to pay.

A specific region with many rules on production, for example, would garner a higher price tag. As the winery then develops in the market, customers are then able to recognize and have confidence in specific brands, say for a large winery. But even if the winery is a small little thing, regionality can be as effective, meaning wines from a location, having the same production methods imposed, should have similar flavors, texture, body characteristics.

Yes, a winey can choose to flow or not follow area rules. If choose to follow, may also choose to express a lower level of quality than what is available given that region. Why would they do this? Maybe that year the weather was not to a good standard and the wine produce is not a great as other years. To be then transparent to the customer, the winery may choose to put a lower quality because the wine only achieved the lower level. OR another direction is that a winery may choose not to put a quality level as they chose to craft their wine outside of regular standards. This may have a double edge sword. Customer may see the label and “judge it by it’s cover” and decide it’s not worth the money the winery is charging. But it may be a way for the winery to direct the government in creating a new appellation should the production method catch on as a unique wine style and thus prove it is worth, thus the price.  

In Austria, the wine quality classification system has three tiers:

Wein: The lowest quality level, indicating wine made in Austria.

Landwein: Wine with Protected Geographic Indication (PGI).

Qualitätswein: Wine with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). These wines must undergo a government inspection to ensure quality standards, with a government inspection number on the label. Some bottles also feature a cap with red, white, and red stripes.

Following the German method, the Qualitätswein level is further divided into:

Klassic: Wine with a declared vintage that shows varietal character.

Reserve: Dry wines with a minimum of 13% ABV, typically released after standard wines.

Austria also uses the German Prädikatswein system, which indicates the must weight at the time of harvest. The must is the juice, skins, pulp, and other components that go into the tank for fermentation. Generally, the denser the must, the sweeter the wine. The categories, from light to dense, include Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA).

In 2002, Austria amended its appellation system to include DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) to promote regionality. This is similar to France’s AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) or Italy’s DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). There are currently 15 DAC wine-growing regions in Austria. The DAC system has a quality hierarchy distinguishing three levels:

Gebietswein: Regional wine.

Ortswein: Village wine.

Riedenwein: Single vineyard wine.

Additionally, in the Wachau region, the Vinea Wachau Wine Association, founded in 1983, introduced its own classification system to promote authenticity, individuality, and craftsmanship. To qualify, wines must be hand-harvested, not chaptalized, fermented to dryness, and not aged in wood. The three levels of quality from lowest to highest are:

Steinfeder: Symbolized by grass, these wines are light, with a maximum ABV of 11.5%, and are meant to be enjoyed young as an aperitif.

Federspiel: Symbolized by a falcon, these wines have delicate aromas, with an ABV between 11.5% and 12.5%, and are ideal with food.

Smaragd: Symbolized by a green lizard, these wines are intense and complex, with a minimum ABV of 12.5%, and often benefit from aging.

How do you tell what level of quality you enjoy? Drink more wine! Here are a few from Austria we carry!  HERE