Investigation of geographic origin of wine from border regions: Results from investigation of two vintages

¹ HBLFA Francisco-Josephinum, BLT Wieselburg, Rottenhauserstr. 1, 3250 Wieselburg, Austria
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno, 62500, Czech Republic
³ National Agricultural and Food Centre – Food Research Institute, Department of Chemistry and Food Analysis, Priemyselná 4, 824 75 Bratislava, Slovakia
⁴ Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, Inspectorate in Brno, Květná 15, 603 00 Brno, The Czech Republic
⁵ SP LABORATORIJA a.d., Member of VICTORIA GROUP, Industrijska 3, 21220 Becej, Serbia
⁶ Höhere Bundeslehranstalt und Bundesamt für Wein- und Obstbau, Wienerstraße 74, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria

Abstract

Investigation on discrimination of geographic origin in border areas is carried out by investigating and comparing authentic wine samples from the border areas of Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia (and from Serbia) by applying different physico-chemical methods (e.g. IRMS, NMR, ICP-MS, ICP-OES, EPR, HPLC, UV-VIS, etc…). The comparison of the data sets from the participating countries and the different applied methods demonstrates, to which extent a differentiation can still be achieved in the border areas of the respective countries, which methods prove most efficient and sensitive and if a combination of methods leads to an increased sensitivity. Furthermore, we also investigate the potential causes for the differentiation, as the environment, different agricultural practices or enology. Analysis of two consecutive vintages shows significant variations between the two years, complicating direct comparison of regions beyond individual vintages. Still, several parameters are identified enabling correct and complete differentiation. However, some of them have been found to represent lab effects, whereas others are interpreted as resulting from different agricultural practices or environmentally driven. Only the latter two ones, if consistent, can be used for discrimination of geographic origin.