Wine Analysis and Authenticity Using 1H-NMR Metabolomics Data: Application to Chinese Wines

A NMR-based metabolomics method was developed to semiautomatically quantify the main components of wine. The method was applied to discriminate wines from two regions of China, Shanxi and Ningxia, which were produced by 6 wineries and for 6 vintages. Two different cultivars, Cabernet Sauvignon and Beihong, were used for winemaking. The method allowed the quantification of 33 metabolites including sugars, amino acids, organic acids, alcohols, and phenolic compounds. Depending on the compounds, the LOD values were in the range of 0.6 to 116 mg/L. The results showed that NMR-based metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis allowed wine separation as a function of terroir and cultivar. Nevertheless, wine differentiation as a function of wineries and ageing would need to be examined more carefully.