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The countries of the European Union are the main wine producers in the world so the wine industry forms an extremely important part of the EU economy. At the same time, the EU is the main wine importing area in the world. In this highly competitive market, fair trade and fair prices are essential to maintain a level playing field for honest wine producers and to preserve consumer confidence. The presence on the market of cheaper imports that have not been produced to the same strictly controlled oenological practices as home products therefore puts the European wine industry at a disadvantage.
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This project proposes the collection of data from authentic and commercial wines from Third Countries and their statistical evaluation to set standards for the analytical control in terms of wine authenticity and consumer protection.
Analytical data will be collected from 700 samples of commercial and authentic wines, each year, from seven Third Countries. The analytical data will comprise the measurement of D/H(I) and D/H(II) by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, C12/C13 and O16/O18 ratios by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry and the determination of multi-element concentrations using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry.
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The project will contribute to a better monitoring of quality and authenticity legislation for wine by improving the tools required for analytical interpretation. Moreover, the project will train scientists in candidate Third Countries to adopt procedures in order to fulfil the EU regulations.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.