Multi-element Characterization and Multivariate Analysis of Venetian Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Wines

Veneto is Italy’s leading wine producer, contributing 23.1% to the entire national production. Veneto production mainly concentrates on protected designation of origin (PDO) wines with 1212 million euros as market value. The definition of some typical markers in wines is an excellent tool for the traceability and authenticity of the Veneto wine supply chain. In this context, the profile of 35 elements by High Resolution - Inductively Coupled - Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HR-ICP–MS) was determined in 12 wine samples belonging to different PDOs of the Veneto region. An exploratory data assessment using principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on the results dataset. The red wine samples were well grouped in a score plot area with a strong influence of macroelements such as Na, K, Mg, and P, while the white and sparkling wine samples were not differentiated. Subsequently, a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was carried out, which gave excellent results for classifying all wine categories (75–100% correct classification). In conclusion, it can be stated that multi-element analysis of quality wine samples gave good results for characterizing Venetian PDOs.