Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)

Definition - What does Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) mean?

Qualitastswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete, or QbA, is a German term that translates to quality wine from designated cultivation areas and is one of the two systems of quality classification in Germany. The wines must meet a certain level of alcohol content and fulfill grape variety requirements before they are approved of by authorities. These wines, however, can be chaptalized – in contrast with QmP classified wines, and this helps distinguish QbA wines from high quality wine.

WineFrog explains Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)

Wines falling under the Qualitastswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete tagline are usually those where sugar may have been added when grapes didn’t meet minimum levels of ripeness by harvest time. The sugar is added in a manner that increases the final alcohol level without altering the sweetness of the wine. QbA wines are considered very basic production level wines because of this and is usually inexpensive wine meant for everyday drinking. The wines come from the 13 wine-growing regions in Germany and can range from dry to semi-sweet, all of which can be inferred from the labels on the wine accompanying the tag Qualitätswein.