What does Qualitätswein mean?

Qualitätswein is German and Austrian quality wine from a named wine region that has passed an official analysis and tasting.

Also known as: QbA, Quality wine

Qualitätswein is the designation for quality wine with protected origin in Germany and Austria. In Germany the grapes must come from one of the thirteen wine regions, the Anbaugebiete, such as Mosel, Pfalz, Rheingau or Franken, and the region's name appears on the label. The level used to be called Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete, abbreviated QbA.

To be called Qualitätswein, the grapes must reach a minimum ripeness, measured in Oechsle, and the wine must pass an official chemical analysis and tasting. Approved wines receive a control number, the AP-Nummer, which is printed on the label. Unlike Prädikatswein, the sugar in the must may be raised before fermentation, known as chaptalisation.

Since the wine law changed in 2021, German levels are based more on origin: the smaller and more precise the area, the stricter the rules, from region through village to single vineyard. Alongside this the producers' association VDP has its own classification.

In Austria, Qualitätswein is the basis of the DAC system, and many bottles carry a red-white-red band on the capsule. In the EU, Qualitätswein counts as a protected designation of origin.