Authentication of red wine vintage using bomb-pulse 14C

Abstract

As a result of atmospheric atomic explosions carried out in the 1950's to 1963 a potential method for the short term dating of wines has emerged based on the determination of 14C in wine components. The atmospheric nuclear explosions released relatively large quantities of 14C into the atmosphere which was incorporated into carbon dioxide. The immediate post test 14CO2 concentration in the atmosphere initially decreased due to its uptake in marine and terrestrial carbon reservoirs. More recently, the dilution of 14CO2 in the atmosphere has been driven by the burning of fossil fuels which are depleted in 14C (because of radioactive decay).The uptake and sequestering of atmospheric CO2 by plants means that by accurately measuring the amount of residual 14C in plant derived-products, the year when that sequestration took place can be determined. The amount of 14C in grape-derived components in the wine, such as alcohol, has been used to reliably determine red wine vintage. Measurement of the residual levels of 14C in additional components in the wine, such as the phenolic compounds, makes the method more robust and less easily circumvented by illicit additions. © 2011 American Chemical Society.