France – Scientists have developed an electronic system to recognize the age of wines. It is even capable of giving the composition of the barrel in which they were fermented.

The process is based on the exploitation of complex and varied characteristics that distinguish the wines. Each bottle is filled with a unique drink, which has its own colour and its original flavor.

Researchers analyzed the compounds in vaporized samples of wine to produce detailed chemical signatures that can be matched against a database of characteristics to identify a wine’s source.

With the help of the true electronic nose, it is possible to analyze the different characteristics of the wine detected in the samples. A sort of identity card of the wine is then established, and mapping with a database that will provide the characteristics of the drink, tested. They did so by using a kind of electronic nose, known as a mass spectrometer.

In this way, the electronic nose can give the name of the grape variety used, the region and the vineyard from where it come. It could even specify the source of the wood used in the barrel.

Regis Gougeon, University of Burgundy who led the research, says that this novel process is beyond the scope of sommeliers. Until now, none of the sensory analyses have never succeeded in identifying wines with as much precision.

The wood used to make barrels in which wine is fermented looks a bit difficult to find. Depending on its origin, it has different characteristics, due to the composition of soils, lichens and parasites that surround it.

The electronic noses will be able to consequently detect the inconsistencies when the age of a wine is higher than that of its barrel! .Scientists hope that this system will also be useful in the fight against counterfeits.