A wine analysis laboratory is a scientific services provider specialising in the chemical, microbiological and sensory analysis of grapes, must and wine. It is the indispensable analytical partner of any wine estate, cooperative, négociant or exporter wishing to control the quality of their production, comply with regulatory standards and resolve technical problems that arise during winemaking or ageing. Without it, modern wine production would be blind.
The wine analysis laboratory plays a sentinel and advisory role. It detects analytical deviations before they become irremediable organoleptic faults, certifies the conformity of wines to European and national regulations, and provides the objective data on which the oenologist bases their technical decisions. In a context of growing controls and ever-higher quality requirements, its role has never been more strategic.
The first systematic wine analyses date back to the work of Louis Pasteur in the 1860s, who developed methods to analyse fermentations and identify the micro-organisms responsible for wine diseases. His research laid the foundations of analytical chemistry applied to wine.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the first regional oenological stations in France created analysis laboratories to support local winegrowers. In Gironde, Burgundy and Alsace, these public stations offered analyses accessible to small producers. In the 1950s-1970s, private laboratories developed to meet the growing demand from large cooperatives and négociant houses.
Since the 1990s, the multiplication of European regulations on wine composition, maximum residue limits (MRL) for pesticides, authorised additives and labelling obligations has considerably increased the analytical burden on producers. Specialist laboratories experienced significant growth to meet these growing needs.
The wine analysis laboratory works according to a very seasonal calendar. The harvest and winemaking period (August-November) represents the activity peak, with considerable sample flows from winegrowers monitoring their fermentations in real time. The ageing, stabilisation and bottling months (December-July) generate more regular but still sustained activity.
The range of analyses offered is very broad: basic analyses (alcohol, total and volatile acidity, pH, free and total SO2, residual sugars, dry extract, ash, complete profile), stability analyses (tartrate, protein, microbiological, iron and copper casse tests), fault research (cork taint, brett, acescence), pesticide residue analyses, aromatic profiles by gas chromatography and complete microbiological analyses.
Technical advice often accompanies analysis results. The laboratory's technicians and oenologists interpret data, alert on anomalies and recommend corrective actions. This value-added advisory service builds customer loyalty and positions the laboratory as a technical partner rather than a simple analytical service provider.
According to data from the DGCCRF and the OIV:
Over 200 approved wine analysis laboratories active in France — DGCCRF, 2022
Approximately 15 million wine analyses carried out in France each year — DGCCRF estimate
Pesticide residue research has become the fastest-growing analysis, multiplied by 5 in 10 years — OIV
Over 400 analytical parameters can be measured on a wine — OIV
The global wine analysis market is estimated at over 500 million euros — FILAB, 2022
Basic oenological analyses — alcohol, acidities, pH, SO2, sugars, dry extract, ash, complete profile
Stability analyses — tartrate, protein, microbiological stability, iron and copper casse tests
Microbiological analyses — yeast counts, bacteria, Brettanomyces, Oenococcus, total flora
Fault research — TCA-TBA (cork taint), ethyl phenols (brett), acetic acid, geraniol, sulphur compounds
Pesticide residues — multi-residue MRL, export regulatory analyses, organic certification
Aromatic analyses — gas chromatography, terpene profile, varietal thiols, fermentation compounds
Authentication and traceability — isotopic fingerprint, grape variety DNA analysis, fraud detection
Maturity analyses — grape maturity monitoring, polyphenol index, anthocyanin maturity
Allergen analyses — sulphites, egg, milk, gluten, European labelling compliance
Nutritional analyses — energy value, nutritional table, 2024 regulation compliance
Wine laboratories face an explosion in regulatory analytical demand. The new European regulation on mandatory nutritional labelling of wines from 2024, combined with growing export market requirements on pesticide residues, is generating unprecedented analytical demand. Laboratories are investing heavily in new mass spectrometry equipment to handle these volumes while maintaining short turnaround times.
The digitalisation and dematerialisation of exchanges is transforming the client relationship. Online portals for sample submission, real-time analysis tracking and result consultation are progressively replacing paper analysis bulletins. Direct integrations with cellar management software allow oenologists to manage their winemaking with near-real-time analytical data.
Finally, the development of rapid in-situ analysis with portable instruments (infrared analysers, electrochemical sensors) is creating competition with centralised laboratories for certain routine analyses. Laboratories respond by focusing on complex high-added-value analyses (residues, authenticity, faults) that cannot yet be performed outside a laboratory.
SARCO Laboratoire — Pessac, Gironde, France
Excell Laboratoire — Merignac, Gironde, France
ISVV Wine Analysis Lab — Villenave-d'Ornon, Bordeaux, France
CIVC Station Viticole — Epernay, Champagne, France
IFV Laboratoire — Vertou, Loire-Atlantique, France
Microlab Vigne & Vin — Colmar, Alsace, France
Oenovation Lab — Dijon, Burgundy, France
LabVitis — Tain-l'Hermitage, Drome, France
Eurofins Wine Testing — Nantes, France
AWRI Wine Analytical Services — Adelaide, Australia
SGS Wine Analysis — Geneva, Switzerland
Intertek Wine Testing — London, UK
VinLab — Stellenbosch, South Africa
Begerow Lab — Langenlonsheim, Rhineland, Germany
Enartis Lab Italia — Trecate, Piedmont, Italy
Biolchim Enologia — Medicina, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Analytica Alimentaria — Valladolid, Castile, Spain
CCDL Enologia — Mendoza, Argentina
NZW Wine Lab — Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand
BLGG AgroXpertus — Wageningen, Netherlands
COTEBA Laboratoire — Narbonne, Aude, France
Fermentis Lab — Marcq-en-Barouel, Nord, France
Labo Oenologie Languedoc — Montpellier, Herault, France
EFFA Laboratoire — Rouen, Normandy, France
Laboratoire Savoie — Chambery, Savoie, France
Oenovation International — Dijon, Burgundy, France
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