Wine & Strong Spirit Testing

For products with known and unknown geographical origin

Wine market and Wine production practices

Table wine represents the largest percentage of the wine market and the largest percentage of counterfeit and illegally produced wine. With the growth of what is now considered a global economy and the rapid expansion of winemaking countries, it has become vital to understand and verify the origin and content of wines. The push for wine testing by governments is largely associated with consumer protection and proper taxation and distribution of alcoholic beverages.

Production practices like Chaptalization and Amelioration are commonly used practices in wine production.  Generally, these practices are illegal unless specifically approved by governing bodies. Laws strictly regulate the amount of sugar that may be added to the grape must, and it can only be applied during a cold vintage when the amount of sugar in the must is not sufficient.  These production practices are strictly forbidden in the production of quality and high-quality wines in the E.U. and the U.S. 

The EIM-IRMS® method is capable of determining the botanical origin of ethanol thus the addition of beet or any other sugars, as well as the addition of water to wine in known and unknown wine samples, grape must and bulk wine. 

Geographical Origin - Fingerprint your wine

EIM-IRMS method is capable of generating unique and non-reproducible isotope fingerprint of the original product used for geographical origin declaration. The geographical origin of the product can be proven by comparing analyzed samples with a database created from original raw samples.

Consumer and Producer Protection

The potential costs of fraud and counterfeiting is not tied only to loss of sales, but has a significant economic impact on the entire society, from producer’s brand damage, job loss, lost tax revenue, to protecting consumer's well being. 

Product sales are directly tied to consumer’s perception that they are purchasing a quality product.  Brand damage caused by counterfeit product is very serious.  Producers spend significant marketing dollars to establish their brand image and market presence.

Table wine represents the largest percentage of the wine market and the largest percentage of counterfeit and illegally produced wine.  The push for wine testing by governments is largely associated with consumer protection,  proper taxation and distribution of alcoholic beverages. 

Wine and Strong Spirit Testing Solution

EIM-IRMS® method is capable of:

  • Determining geographical origin of wine
  • Detection of added water in wine or wine must with and without geographical origin
  • Detection of added C4-sugar/ethanol in wine or wine must with and without geographical origin
  • Detection of added C3-sugar/ethanol in wine or wine must with and without geographical origin
  • Generating product fingerprint for wine and strong spirits

42nd World Congress of Vine and Wine in Switzerland, 2019

Quantitative analysis and detection of chaptalization and watering down of wine using isotope ratio mass spectrometryEuropean Geosciences Union
General Assembly 2014

Learn more

European Geosciences Union General Assembly - Vienna, Austria, 27 April - 02 May, 2014

Determination of wine authenticity and geographical origin by measuring non-exchangeable hydrogen stable isotopes in wine ethanol with EIM-IRMS® methodology in combination with δ18O values obtained from wine water

Learn more