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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) currently accredited a new laboratory method, by means of which it will be able to identify wines adulterated by adding synthetic aromatic substances.

Aromatic substances enter wines naturally from grapes and they are further created during fermentation and maturation process. Addition of artificial – synthetic – aromas is regarded as unauthorised procedure during production of wine. Synthetic aromas could be sold and their use is possible in a range of food industry branches, however, this does not apply to wine making.

CAFIA inspectors have been specialising in inspection of wine by means of professional degustation since 2014 and this way, they detected dozens of wines that contained synthetic aromas despite the ban. Pálava is the most frequently adulterated wine sort. Taster stated obvious synthetic peach aroma in these wines.

To make official inspections more effective, CAFIA introduced a method of determination of so-called gamma-lactones for discovering adulteration of wine with added synthetic aroma by method of chiral gas chromatography with mass detection This laboratory procedure was introduced by the CAFIA Laboratory Department in Brno that focuses on detection of adulterated wines by means of laboratory analyses in a long-term horizon.

CAFIA will use the newly accredited method from now on very intensively.

Article by: Pavel Kopřiva, CAFIA Spokesperson

14^th July 2017