🏷️ Qualitätswein

Qualitätswein is a German category of quality wine. It must be made from grapes of one of Germany's 13 wine regions and from permitted varieties. The name and region appear on the label. The same category exists in Austria. In the German system Qualitätswein stands above simple country wine, Landwein and Deutscher Wein, but below Prädikatswein. Prädikatswein is made only from grapes that have reached the required ripeness in sugar, and sugar may not be added to it. In Qualitätswein the grape must may be slightly sweetened with sugar before fermentation to raise the strength. Within the European system Qualitätswein counts as wine with protected origin, that is PDO. There are also special sub-categories, such as Classic and Selection, which point to stricter quality requirements. Besides state rules there are private ones, such as the VDP classification created by an association of top winemakers. For a buyer, Qualitätswein is the clearest label of ordinary wine with a guarantee of region.