Prädikatswein#

Praedikatswein: The various categories of Praedikatswein are laid down in section 30 of the Austrian wine law. Praedikatswein is characterized by harmony of alcohol, residual sugar (which must not be chaptalised) and acidity. Controls of the vintage are very strict. The categories of Spaetlese (minimum density of wine 19 KMW = Klosterneuburger Must Scale (measure of the sugar content of grapemust; developed in1869 by August Wilhelm Freiherr von Babo, the first director of the wine institute in Klosterneuburg, the KMW measures the must sugar in percentages of weight. Conversion to Oechsle = KMW x 5)) and Auslese wines (21 KMW and more) may also be matured to become dry in character. Beerenauslese (25 KMW plus), Ausbruch (27 KMW plus) and Trockenbeerenauslese (30 KMW plus) are made from overripe grapes, grapes with noble rot, or naturally shrivelled grapes and are characterized by very fine residual sugar. Eiswein (25 KMW plus) is pressed from frozen grapes; Strohwein (25 KMW plus) is produced from overripe grapes which are stored and air-dried on straw or reeds for at least three months before pressing. Prime production areas: the regions around Gumpoldskirchen, Rust and Seewinkel Area (for noble rot products); Lower Austria, area north of the River Danube (for Eiswein).