The world of wine in Austria is similiar to that of Germany in many ways, but it is also quite different. Austria is generally warmer than Germany; therefore, the grapes ripen more fully, which produces stronger wines. Austrians also generally like their wines drier (see DRY) than Germans. Since the wine scandal of 1985, where traces of poisonous diethylene glycol were found in wines that were supposed to contain only natural sugars, Austria enacted tougher wine-quality laws very similar to those in Germany. The lowest wine-quality category is TAFELWEIN, with a subcategory of LANDWEIN. The middle category is QUALITÄTSWEIN, with a subcategory of KABINETT (which in Germany is in the highest category). Austria’s highest category is PRÄDIKATSWEIN, with the subcategories (lowest to highest) of: SPÄTLESE, AUSLESE, STROHWEIN (not a German subcategory), EISWEIN, BEERENAUSLESE, AUSBRUCH (not a German subcategory), and TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE. In most cases, the Austrian requirements are somewhat stricter—for example, higher required sugar levels. If the name of a RIED (“vineyard”) is used on the label, 100 percent of the wine used must be from that vineyard location. This is also true for any local or regional name. If a VARIETY or VINTAGE appears on the label, 85 percent of the wine must come from the named grape or vintage. Per capita, Austrians consume over three times the wine of Americans. In fact, they consume more than they produce so imported wines fill the gap. More than 80 percent of the Austrian wine production is white. The most popular white grape is GRÜNER VELTLINER, which produces pale, CRISP, light- to medium-bodied (see BODY), slightly SPICY wines of good quality. Other popular white varieties are GEWÜRZTRAMINER, Muscat-Ottonel (MUSCAT), Rhine Riesling (RIESLING), MÜLLER-THURGAU, Weissburgunder (PINOT BLANC), WELSCHRIESLING, Rotgipfler, Zierflander, and Neuburger (a cross of Pinot Blanc and SYLVANER). The red wines, which are typically very light, are made from Blauburgunder (PINOT NOIR), PORTUGIESER, BLAUFRÄNKISCH, and Zweigelt. Austria produces most of its wines in the eastern part of the country—over half in the region of Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), followed by Burgenland, then Styria (Steiermark) and Vienna. Most of Austria’s wines are dry, the exceptions being the sweet, BOTRYTISED wines from Burgenland, which are sometimes compared to those from SAUTERNES.