Wine varietal authentication based on phenolics, volatiles and DNA markers: State of the art, perspectives and drawbacks

Due to the worldwide importance of wine and frequent cases of fraud and mislabeling, in recent years there has been growing interest in developing analytical methods to determine the varietal origin of wines with some precision. In the first part of this paper we review varietal authentication based on the analysis of volatiles and phenolics, the compounds most involved in the sensory identity of wines. After illustrating their potential and limitations, we introduce the possibility of exploiting DNA analysis as a further strategy to ascertain the varietal origin of wines. In the second part of the paper we present some results of our efforts to differentiate wines from three Aglianico biotypes, based on the molecules previously discussed. Aglianico is one of the most ancient red grapes cultivated in southern Italy, producing three highly prized PDO wines. Finally, we present and briefly discuss, through a case study, the negative effects of counterfeit wines on consumer demand and producers' economic returns.