Klassik, when noted with an uppercase ‘K’ on an austrian label (or price list) refers to unoaked, fruit-forward wines. The most established such category is Steierische Klassik, used for wines grown in the state of steiermark and associated especially with the crisp, dry wines of südsteiermark that are intended for early drinking. The term Klassik is also used—though generally without appearing on the relevant labels—for the lighter of two categories of wine within many of Austria’s dacs. Klassik is also sometimes colloquially employed in Germany for the least expensive or simplest bottlings, as some French growers use the term Tradition to denote the basic bottling even though the word rarely appears on labels. Klassik is not to be confused with the specific category of German wine known as classic.
