Federspiel
Definition - What does Federspiel mean?
Federspiel is a style of wine made in the Wachau region of Austria. Wines of this region are classified under three strict categories; Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd.
Federspiel wines are labeled with a falcon, paying homage to the local pastime of falconry. The wines require a minimum must weight and alcohol content between 11.5 and 12.5%.
WineFrog explains Federspiel
Before the national creation of Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC), Austria's wine-regulating body, many regions created their own local regulating system. Wachau was one of the first.
The area has over 3,300 acres of vineyards planted mainly with Grüner Veltliner. The second most important grape, Riesling, has distinct characteristics that carry the local terroir.
The classification system is similar to Germany's, which classifies wines according to the must weight and alcohol content.
Federspiel is the second-ranked quality wine in between Steinfeder and Smaragd. While these are Wachau's main labels, these wines can also be given names such as Spatlese for late harvest, Auslese and so on.
