Geographic origin of southern Brazilian wines by carbon and oxygen isotope analyses

We present a method that can differentiate between the varieties of grapes and the vintages of wines and show the relationship between the grapes, the wine and the geographic location. The place of origin and its geographic and climatic characteristics were determined by the isotopic ratios, ¹³C/¹²C of the ethanol and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O of the water content of wine (wine water), for southern Brazil wines. The producing subregions of Pinto Bandeira, Vale dos Vinhedos and Nova Pádua showed differences in the temperature, rainfall and humidity conditions used for the production under microvinification conditions of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties, in the harvests of 2005 and 2006. An isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an elemental analyzer was used to measure the ¹³C/¹²C of ethanol and the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O of wine water. Regardless of the grape variety used, it was possible to determine the subregion through measurement of the δ¹⁸O values in both harvests. The altitudes of the different subregions led to statistical differences and demonstrated an influence mainly on the δ¹⁸O values of wine water. The δ¹⁸O value of wine water was determined to be more selective for the determination of the cultivation subregions than the δ¹³C value of the ethanol. The altitude and latitude influenced mainly the δ ¹⁸O values of wine water and the ethanol. The climatic influences are more noteworthy in distinguishing the year of the harvest than the cultivation subregion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.