Identifying wine markers in ceramics and plasters with gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Experimental, ethnoarchaeological and archaeological materials

The identification of the organic residues preserved in archaeological materials yields good insights into understanding food production, trade and consumption. Wine is one of the most important beverages produced, traded and consumed in the Mediterranean area. Consequently, it is important to identify its presence in ancient materials. Nevertheless, the identification of wine markers is still an object of discussion. We present here the results obtained from analysing different materials using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which allowed for the identification of tartaric acid and other markers of wine. The method was first tested on experimental and traditional materials that have been used until recently to store and/or produce wine and was then used for investigating archaeological materials. The experiments also involved the degradation of wine through cooking, drastic heating and burial for seven years. The results from the analysis of ceramic and plaster materials are discussed. The importance of the proposed methodology is that it allows the identification of traces of wine using the same facilities that are usually employed for the study of the organic residues preserved in archaeological samples (GC/MS), with no need for HPLC, LC/MS/MS or THM/GC/MS, thus allowing a larger number of laboratories to detect traces of wine. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.