Experimental Review of DNA-Based Methods for Wine Traceability and Development of a Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Genotyping Assay for Quantitative Varietal Authentication

The genetic varietal authentication of wine was investigated according to DNA isolation procedures reported for enological matrices and also by testing 11 commercial extraction kits and various protocol modifications. Samples were collected at different stages of the winemaking process of renowned Italian wines Brunello di Montalcino, Lambruschi Modenesi, and Trento DOC. Results demonstrated not only that grape DNA loss is produced by the fermentation process but also that clarification and stabilization operations contribute to the reduction of double-stranded DNA content on wine. Despite the presence of inhibitors, downstream PCR genotyping yielded reliable nuclear and chloroplast SSR markers for must samples, whereas no amplification or inconsistent results were obtained at later stages of the vinification. In addition, a TaqMan genotyping assay based on cultivar-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was designed, which allowed assessment of grapevine DNA mixtures. Once the wine matrix limitations are overcome, this sensitive tool may be implemented for the relative quantification of cultivars used for blend wines or frauds