Radioactivity measurements applied to the dating and authentication of old wines
Résumé
For many years the neutrino group in the CENBG has been involved in the development of low background gamma-ray spectrometers, based on the use of HPGe crystals. When applied to radioactivity measurements of wine in bottles, it has been shown that besides the well-known isotope K-40, the wine contains also trace amounts of Cs-137 (less than 1 Bq/l) with an activity depending on the vintage. This technique has thus led to the possibility to date the wine bottles of vintages between 1952 and similar to 1980 and to verify the year written on the label or on the cork. Since the measurements do not require opening the bottle, the technique has also proved to be very useful for detecting counterfeit wines of the XIXth century and first half of the XXth century.