The 87Sr/86Sr strontium isotopic systematics applied to Glera vineyards: A tracer for the geographical origin of the Prosecco

• We examine the soil-grape juice relationships in Prosecco vineyards by Sr isotopes.
• No significant Sr isotopic fractionation is observed within plants.
• The Sr isotopic composition of the labile fraction of soil and juice correlate.

Glera vineyards from the Prosecco wine district in northern Italy have been characterised in terms of the 87Sr/86Sr isotope-ratio of musts from the 2010, 2011 and 2012 vintages, coupled with the isotopic analysis of Sr in the labile fraction of the soils of provenance. For a single vineyard, detailed Sr isotopic analyses were carried out in sequentially extracted soil fractions at three different depths, and in the grape components (skin, seeds, must and stem), in order to verify the lack of Sr isotopic fractionation within the plant. The 87Sr/86Sr in must, seeds and stem overlaps within experimental uncertainties; skins are shifted towards a lower Sr isotopic composition. A large range of Sr isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr between 0.70706 and 0.71215) characterizes musts from the different vineyards, notwithstanding the relatively limited extension of the investigated geographic area. A statistically significant correspondence between the soil labile fraction and must is observed.