Austrian Wine Quality Marker Completes Implementation

Austrian Wine Marketing Board said it has completed the implementation of the DAC system for recognizing the origin of Austrian wines and therefore their quality.  

This means that if the name of a wine-growing region appears on the label in conjunction with “DAC”, the wine in the bottle is a typical Qualitätswein for the region and has been made from grapes harvested exclusively in that very region. A DAC wine can only be produced from the specific grape varieties permitted for that particular region and must meet all of the requirements set out in the decree for that region. There are 18 DAC wine origins in Austria. Wines that do not meet DAC requirements are labelled as originating from the generic wine-growing region (=corresponding federal state) and add to the diversity of wines at this level of origin.

Wines from the Thermenregion are now protected with a DAC, making this the final wine-growing region to join the system. The native white wine varieties Rotgipfler and Zierfandler take centre stage here, alongside the Burgundian grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir). The DAC wines will be classified into three different tiers – Gebietswein (regional wine), Ortswein (villages wine) and Riedenwein (single-vineyard wine) – and make their debut with the 2023 vintage.“We’ve made it!” confirms Heinrich Hartl, President of the Thermenregion regional wine committee, delighted at having wrapped up the “Thermenregion DAC” project. This means that the implementation of Austria’s 20-year-long DAC project, which kicked off very successfully with the Weinviertel DAC in 2003, has been concluded.

“I am delighted  that the Thermenregion DAC has now completed the DAC family,” says Chris Yorke, CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (Austrian Wine). He adds, “The DAC system is an Austrian success story. It enables every region to legally protect its regionally typical wine styles. This is extremely important in the wine industry  because grape varieties are interchangeable. Origins aren’t!”