Abstract
The wine sector generates a considerable amount of wealth but is facing a perpetual problem of fraud. Wine counterfeiting is one of the oldest and most common cases of food fraud worldwide. Therefore, the authenticity and traceability of wine are major concerns for both industry and consumers. To address these issues, robust and reliable analysis and control methods are necessary. Several methods have been developed, ranging from simple organoleptic tests to more advanced methodologies such as isotopic techniques or residual radioactivity measurements. However, with counterfeiting becoming increasingly sophisticated, more complex methodologies are needed for their detection. In this context, innovative tools for the analysis of metabolites and other small organic molecules can offer new perspectives for ensuring wine authenticity. In this work, we propose the development and validation of an open metabolomic approach based on 1H NMR to assess wine authenticity, using standardized, flexible, and accessible analytical and data processing protocols. Additionally, combinatorial approaches using orthogonal techniques e.g. NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and data fusion are presented. These efforts represent a significant advancement towards establishing a standardized and open methodology for certifying wine authenticity using 1H NMR metabolomics and establish new metabolomic approaches for wine authentication and quality control.