German wine category meaning "quality wine" and formerly known as "Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)" (a term still used in Austria). Qualitätswein is the largest German wine category.
A Qualitätswein wine must come from one of the 13 German wine regions, i.e. grapes from different regions can not be blended. A specific ripeness level of the grapes and minimum alcohol level of the resulting wine is stipulated for each region. Wines may be chaptalized to increase the level of alcohol.
See also Germany.