A regional brand category of the Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus winegrowers' association for dry white wines in the Wachau winegrowing region in Lower Austria. There are three levels in total: Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd. The feather-light grass Steinfeder (Latin: stipa pennata), which grows on rocks near the terraced vineyards of the Wachau like edelweiss, gave the wine its symbolic name. A must weight of 15 to 17 °KMW and (since the 2007 vintage) a maximum alcohol content of 11.5% vol. is prescribed for the light, fragrant and sparkling wines. The category gave its name to the international "Steinfeder Prize for Wine Journalism".
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