Characterizing wine terroir using strontium isotope ratios: a review

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a detailed review of the use of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope systematics for wine provenance studies. The method is based on the principle that the Sr isotope ratio in wine reflects that of the labile fraction of the vineyard soil from which the wine is produced. The review encompasses ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data from wine samples published between 1993 and 2021 from terroirs in 22 different countries. The analytical procedures and techniques adopted by the different authors and the range of isotope ratios obtained in the different studies are discussed and evaluated. This study provides a bibliometric analysis of the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope approach for wine authentication at different scales. Although limitations are evident when implemented at large (global) scales, we demonstrate that the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope tracing technique remains a powerful and reliable tool for determining the geographical origin of wine when combined with detailed knowledge of the geological and soil characteristics of the substrata. For example, this combination of data allows the wines grown in the volcanic soils of Central and Southern Italy to be unambiguously fingerprinted. We present a detailed protocol for the application of the Sr isotope technique to wine authentication.

KEYWORDS:

• Food authenticity
• food traceability
• geographical origin
• isotope tracer technique
• soils
• strontium-87/strontium-86
• wine authentication

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the financial support from the Doctorate of Earth, Environmental and Resources Science of DiSTAR, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. The comments from two anonymous reviewers and the editorial handling of the Editor in Chief Gerhard Strauch are thankfully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Doctoral Council of Italy and the University of Federico II, Naples, Italy (Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences).