Using a particle accelerator, more associated with unlocking the secrets of the Universe than those of red wine, physicists at the Centre for Scientific Research in Bordeaux have teamed up with some of the great wine producing chateaux of the region and a wine merchant specialising in rare wines.

“We wanted to find some objective scientific method for analysing the wine and authenticating it in cases where it’s not entirely clear if the bottle is genuine,” says Stephen Williams of The Antique Wine Company, which bank rolled the VinCert project to the tune of £100,000.

The secondary trade in fine wine, with vintages dating back many decades or even centuries, now exceeds £1bn a year.