Affinity Labs, part of the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), is marking a major milestone 40 years of continuous NATA accreditation and celebrating a legacy built on scientific excellence, industry leadership and global trust.
Originally established as the AWRI Technical Service Laboratory, Affinity Labs achieved NATA accreditation in 1986, becoming one of the first accredited laboratories in the Australian wine industry. The timing was critical. Australian wine exports to the European Economic Community (EEC) were rapidly accelerating, and accredited VI1 analyses had become mandatory to access international markets.
The growth story that followed was significant. Between 1983 and 2000, Australian wine exports surged from just 3 per cent of a 400,000‑tonne vintage to 60 per cent of nearly two million tonnes. This expansion placed unprecedented demands on analytical accuracy, traceability and data integrity, demands that could only be met through a robust, internationally recognised quality system.
What began in the early 1980s as ad hoc analytical support for local wineries quickly transformed into a professional, fee‑for‑service laboratory. Early partnerships, including collaborations with AMDEL (Australian Mineral Development Laboratories) for metal testing, helped build strong technical capability and industry confidence. As export requirements intensified, NATA accreditation became not just logical, but essential to ensure the credibility and global acceptance of Australian wine analysis.
Following accreditation, AWRI established an interwinery analysis group to assist other wineries in pursuing their own accreditation. This collaborative approach strengthened national capability and supported the industry through a period of rapid export growth. In 2001, the Institute achieved further recognition under the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) for non‑clinical agrochemical residue testing.
Today, Affinity Labs is a trusted partner to the food and beverage industry, delivering a suite of consulting and analytical services. Its capabilities cross chemical and microbiological analysis, sensory assessment and export certification, supporting market access across a wide range of global destinations.
The scale of activity reflects this sustained trust. In 2025, Affinity Labs processed nearly 23,000 samples, generating around 35,000 accredited analyses across 16 ISO/IEC 17025 NATA‑accredited methods. Across both ISO/IEC 17025 and OECD GLP programs within the Analytical and Trace Laboratories, the team conducts more than 100,000 analyses annually a powerful measure of depth, capability and ongoing demand.
Four decades on from first achieving accreditation, Affinity Labs’ customers continue to rely on its NATA‑accredited methods as a hallmark of confidence assurance that Australian food and beverages are safe, compliant, and exactly what they claim to be.
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