page_title: Austrian wine
section_title: National Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Austrian wine / Classification / National Classification
caption_attribution_description: Östliche Smaragdeidechse (Lacerta viridis), aufgenommen im Kamptal (Niederösterreich)
context_page_description: Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines, though some sweeter white wines are also produced. About 30% of the wines are red, made from Blaufränkisch, Pinot noir and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt. Four thousand years of winemaking history counted for little after the "antifreeze scandal" of 1985, when it was revealed that some wine brokers had been adulterating their wines with diethylene glycol. The scandal destroyed the market for Austrian wine and compelled Austria to tackle low standards of bulk wine production, and reposition itself as a producer of quality wines. The country is also home to Riedel, makers of some of the most expensive wine glasses in the world. Some of the best producers of Austria include Weingut Bründlmayer, Weingut F.X. Pichler and Weingut Franz Hirtzberger, Weingut Hutter, Weingut Eigl and Wellanschitz.
context_section_description: The existing system was based on the German system during World War II, but was modified after 1985. It is based on the Klosterneuberger Mostwaage (KMW), which measures the sugar content of the grapes at harvest in a way similar to the Öchsle scale, where 1°KMW is ~5°Oe.
  Tafelwein: >10.7°KMW, can come from more than one region
  Landwein: >14°KMW, >17 g/litre dry extract, <11.5% alcohol, <6 g/l residual sugar. A Tafelwein that comes from just one region.
  Qualitätswein: >15°KMW (can be chaptalised to 19°KMW for whites, 20°KMW for reds), >9% alcohol. Comes from a single wine district.
  Kabinett: >17°KMW Qualitätswein with no chaptalisation, residual sugar <9 g/litre, alcohol <12.7%.
  Prädikatswein : covers the range from Spätlese to Eiswein, to which nothing can be added—no must, no chaptalisation. Most of the wines may not be released until 1 May after harvest.
  Spätlese: >19°KMW, wine not released until 1 March after harvest
  Auslese: >21°KMW, bad grapes removed
  Beerenauslese: >25°KMW, bad grapes removed
  Ausbruch: >27°KMW, botrytised grapes, grape juice or late harvest wine may be added to assist the pressing operation.
  Trockenbeerenauslese: >30°KMW, completely botrytised grapes
  Eiswein: >25°KMW, further concentrated by being harvested and pressed when frozen.
  Strohwein or Schilfwein: >25°KMW, made from grapes dried on straw mats.
caption: The Smaragd (emerald) Lizard, Lacerta viridis, which gives its name to the highest level of the Wachau wine classification.
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