Have you ever wondered around in the wine store thinking to buy something new and you told yourself: “Let’s try something from Germany or Austria, they have some aromatic white wines!” But then you saw the labels and didn’t understand what it is,that you are holding in your hand so just had a bottle from a different country? I can understand the confusion, sometimes even I am confused of all the German words stated on the label. Now I would like to help and explain a few terms and words to make your life easier reading Austrian wine labels!
Austria’s Wine Quality System
Austria’s labels look similar to German ones, but since 2002, the country has had its own appellation system: DAC — Districtus Austriae Controllatus. It’s essentially Austria’s version of the French AOP or Italian DOC, designed to highlight regional typicity rather than just grape ripeness.
Still, both systems coexist — the traditional ripeness-based classification (Prädikat) and the origin-based DAC system. Here’s how they fit together.
Good Austrian wine labels will display the producer’s name and location, the wine’s region and maybe the village/vineyard of origin, its sweetness, the grape variety it’s made from, and an indication of the grapes’ ripeness level (Prädikat). This is what we can see on most of the German labels too. Let’s take a closer look on this system first:
The three official tiers of Austrian wine quality:
Prädikatswein
The top tier of Austrian wine quality classification. The term Prädikat means ‘distinction’. Austria’s wine classification is strongly based around grape ripeness (must weight). This is graded on the KMW Klosterneuberg Must Weight scale. One KMW means 1g of sugar per 100g of grape must. There are seven types of Prädikat wines:
- Spätlese: means ‘late harvest’. Spätlese wines are made from grapes picked at least a week after the start of harvest, mmust have a minimum of 19 KMW.
- Auslese: means ‘selected harvest’. Auslese wines are made from ripe grapes (min. 21 KMW) affected to some noble rotter grapes.
- Beerenauslese (BA): means ‘berry selection’. Super-ripe grapes (min. 25 KMW) remain on the vine and are ‘selected’ only if affected by botrytis.
- Ausbruch: denotes a wine made exclusively from botrytis-affected berries.
- Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA): means ‘dry berry selection’. The sweetest of all, the grapes are left on the vine until reaching a botrytized and raisin-like state, with highly concentrated sugars (30 KMW) which will give them more concentration and complexity.
- Eiswein: means ‘ice wine’, and indicates that the grapes (min. 25 KMW) were harvested and pressed while naturally frozen. Obviously this is the one they harvest at last, only when the temprature is right (usually -7°C).
- Strohwein / Schilfwein: literally ‘straw wine’ and ‘reed wine’. The grapes (min. 25 KMW) are air-dried, traditionally on mats made of straw or reeds, to concentrate their flavors and sugars.
Qualitätswein
Austria’s second tier of wine quality classification. It means literally ‘quality wine’. All Qualitätswein comes from an officially recognized Austrian wine-growing region, and there are only 35 permitted grape varieties which can blended into a bottle.
Landwein
It means ‘country wine’, just like Vin de Pays. Just like the IGP system in the European Union.
That system is used widly in the country but as I mentioned in 2002 they created a different system to categorize the wine style of the region regarding the grape variety allowed in that DAC. In this way DAC is more like the appellation system used in France, Italy and Spain. Each DAC has two different styles: ’Klassik’ for lighter, fruit-driven wines and ’Reserve’ for slightly weightier wines, possibly with a some influence of oak or botrytis. It is worth to seek out these terms on the bottle to get an idea, what we are buying!
Austria’s DAC Regions (as of 2025)
There are now 18 DAC regions across the country, each tied to its own signature grapes and styles:
Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
- Weinviertel DAC – Grüner Veltliner only
- Kamptal DAC – Grüner Veltliner, Riesling
- Kremstal DAC – Grüner Veltliner, Riesling
- Traisental DAC – Grüner Veltliner, Riesling
- Wachau DAC – multiple varieties, led by Grüner Veltliner and Riesling
- Thermenregion DAC – new addition (since 2023), with indigenous grapes like Rotgipfler and Zierfandler
- Carnuntum DAC – blends of Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, also white varieties
Burgenland
- Leithaberg DAC – Grüner Veltliner, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay, Blaufränkisch
- Eisenberg DAC – Blaufränkisch
- Mittelburgenland DAC – Blaufränkisch
- Neusiedlersee DAC – Zweigelt
- Rosalia DAC – Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt
- Ruster Ausbruch DAC – botrytised sweet wines (white varieties only)
Styria (Steiermark)
- Südsteiermark DAC – Sauvignon Blanc, Gelber Muskateller, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc etc.
- Vulkanland Steiermark DAC – aromatic whites and regional blends
- Weststeiermark DAC – home of Schilcher (Blauer Wildbacher)
Vienna (Wien)
- Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC – traditional field blend of multiple white grapes
Each DAC may include sub-zones, vineyard names, and individual village designations.
This system hasn’t replace the Prädikat system but where both is present, this takes precedence over any consideration of Prädikat. This makes understanding the label difficult, another way to indentify easier Austria’s quality wines is their unique capsules and screw-caps, which are decorated with the Austrian flag colours. These shows a quality wine that has passed official quality testing procedures.
Wachau’s Unique System
That is one more system we should mention which is unique for only one region that we haven’t mentioned. Wachau has created its own appellation system. The quality and style of the region’s wines are communicated by the terms Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd. This three-tier system was created by the Vinea Wachau – a winegrowers’ alliance similar to Germany’s VDP.
- Steinfeder wines are the lightest in style: fresh, fruity and tangy, with a maximum of 11.5% ABV.
- Federspiel wines are the middleweight category, with the power and elegant precision of a hunting falcon (federspiel means ‘falconry’) and a 11.5% – 12.5% alcohol level.
- Smaragd wines are the richest and fullest-bodied, with a minimum of 12,5% alcohol.
These terms can be used exclusively by Wachau wines – most commonly dry, white Riesling and Grüner Veltliner but also the occasional rosé made from Zweigelt.
The New Vineyard Classification
Since 2023, Austrian law allows for an official single-vineyard hierarchy — similar to France’s Premier Cru and Grand Cru system that can appear on Austrian wine labels.
It introduces Ried (“vineyard”) designations and optional tiers like Erste Lage and Große Lage, which will be gradually implemented across DAC regions.
Recognising Quality on Austrian Wine Labels
Look for the red-white-red banderole on the capsule or screw-cap — it means the wine has passed official tasting and analytical controls for the Qualitätswein level. You’ll often also find a Prüfnummer, a state control number confirming approval.
These are the most important labelling terms to look after when you are choosing Austrian wines but let me give you some additional words to understand, if you don’t speak German:
Abfüller – Bottler or shipper.
Erzeugerabfüllung / Gutsabfüllung – Wine bottled by the producer / estate-bottled
Trocken – Dry, up to 9 g/L residual sugar
Extra Trocken – Extra dry wine, up to 4 g/L residual sugar
Halbtrocken – Medium-dry (literally half-dry), between 9 – 12 gr./liter residual sugar.
Lieblich – Medium-sweet (off-sweet), between 12 – 45 g/L residual sugar.
Prüfnummer – The code number given by the Austrian wine testing authorities. Austrian Qualitätswein, Prädikatswein and DAC wines undergo a chemical analysis, a tasting commission comprising state authorised experts and, in the case of DAC wines, a further test to confirm grape and regional typicity before being granted the Prüfnummer.
Rotwein – Red wine.
Sekt Austria (PDO) – Austrian sparkling wine with protected designation of origin.
Süss – Sweet wine, in excess of 45 g/L residual sugar.
Weingut – Wine estate.
Weinkellerei – Winery.
Weisswein – White wine.
Winzergenossenschaft – Wine growers’ co-operative.
Conclusion
I know this language is not the easiest one but I hope I could help with this article and now you will discover more wines from this country! Understanding Austrian wine labels isn’t about memorising terms — it’s about decoding the story behind each bottle. Once you know what DAC, Ried, or Smaragd really mean, you start seeing not just a label but a map of origin, style, and intention. It’s a country where authenticity is written directly on the bottle — if you know how to read it.
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