NMR Spectroscopy Takes The Guesswork Out Of Fine Wine Collecting

For centuries, fine wine collectors and connoisseurs have searched for a way to test the quality of wine in the bottle, without causing damage to the bottle, the cork, the seal or the label and most importantly, the wine itself. Testing wine without compromising it or risking serious devaluation has been an impossible feat…until now. A newly-developed and patented (U.S. Patent Issued – Foreign Patents Applied) technology using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) that accomplishes what had previously been impossible, has been developed for Crystal Springs Resort. Using the same technology employed in medical NMR scans, the NMR equipment that is exclusive to the Restaurant Latour Wine Cellar can determine whether a wine is in pristine condition, if it has gone bad, or is somewhere in-between.

Dr. Matthew Augustine and his dedicated team of scientists at the University of California - Davis developed the Wine NMR. After rigorous testing, they determined the NMR process to be a “non-destructive and non-invasive determination of the ethanol content and the acetic acid content in full bottles of wine.” (1)

This team of scientists expressed hope that the NMR spectroscopy method “becomes routine in the evaluation of the quality of fine wines and in the study of wine cork aging. This method of full, intact bottle analysis is not just limited to the determination of acetic acid spoilage and content in wines. Rather, it can be extended to the study of other molecular components such as aldehydes and flavonoids that develop as wines age in sealed bottles.”(2) They also state that “the extension of the full bottle methods to the study of more dilute wine components, trace ionic contaminants and other wine related problems where specific chemical products are produced or used promised to be an exciting future direction.”(1)

The unparalleled value of the Wine NMR is that it is the only technology in the world that is able to authenticate the quality of valuable fine wines, guiding collectors to wines that are pristine in their condition with respect to oxidation and maderization. Conversely, if the wines are not pristine, the NMR gives the collector some idea about how much time the wine might have left, thus imposing a timeline by when to sell it, or drink it.

Wine Spectator 5/15/05 Click To Enlarge

In an age when more collectors are assembling and trading fine wines, having a technology that can accurately assess expensive wines is a boon. With a simple test, the current wine’s owner need no longer guess whether a wine has been treated properly in its life, or how long to keep a wine that may be turning. That is a real comfort and enhancement to an auction house evaluation of a bottle, particularly one with a price tag in the thousands. While there has always been a risk in buying old wines, and an inherent excitement in the subjectivity of evaluating the condition of wine, the Wine NMR technology adds a dimension of hard data that augments the tasting and collecting experience. In the end, knowing whether a wine is pristine in its condition, or whether it should be slated for consumption and over what timeframe, will add a new dimension to collecting and enjoying fine wines.

The amazing new technology developed exclusively by Crystal Springs Resort promises to revolutionize the wine industry, making wine collections and the experience of buying fine wines a better one for all.

Testing and certification available by appointment. Results guaranteed. Call 973.827.5996.