As of this spring, a new three-tier quality ranking system for Austrian sparkling wines, which produces about 12 million bottles annually, will be incorporated into Austrian wine law.

The three tiers will be as follows: level one guarantees that all grapes and base wines are from Austria and that production takes place in Austria. Maturation on the lees (sediment) must last at least nine months.

Level two requires that wines undergo the methode traditionnelle (secondary fermentation in the bottle) process. The origin of the grapes and base wines must be from one generic winegrowing region, such as Lower Austria.

Wines must be matured on the lees for at least 18 months and have the highest level of quality.

Level three requires that the grapes and the wines are fermented according to methode traditionnelle and to be from a specific community, such as Poysdorf or Langenlois.

Wines must also be released at least three years after harvest and spend no less than 30 months of maturation on the lees.