About
VINTESSENTIAL TEST KITS – Helping winemakers for over 20 years
What we do
- Develop – Vintessential works both in-house and with renowned research bodies to continually find solutions for the beverage industry
- Manufacture – Vintessential test kits are manufactured in accredited laboratories and provide a complete solution for small, medium and large operators to generate absolute results anywhere anytime.
- Supply – Vintessential test kits are well known and trusted in Australian laboratories, but have now expanded distribution to New Zealand, US, Chile, Argentina, Spain, South Africa. From 2026 Vintessential will also be distributing in Japan and China.
- Trusted for wine…and beyond. Vintessential test kits have been used and trusted for over 20 years, but have found more applications in beer, cider and fortified wines.
Autoanalyser options
The dedicated test kits have been designed by Vintessential, in conjunction with Awareness Technologies, to optimize performance and provide a complete system exclusively for the wine industry – the Chemwell 2910 and Winery Pro. The system monitors 7 wine-specific assays: Primary Amino Acid Nitrogen, Ammonia, L-Malic Acid, Free and Total Sulfur Dioxide, D-Glucose & D-Fructose and Acetic Acid. These are all the essential measurements you need to assure sound and stable wine production.
Spectrophotometer options
Vintessential offer a complete solution for small operators using spectrophotometers. The system monitors 11 wine-specific assays: Primary Amino Acid Nitrogen, Ammonia, L-Malic Acid, Free and Total Sulfur Dioxide, D-Glucose & D-Fructose and Acetic Acid. Specialised testing includes Gluconic acid, Citric acid and Lactic acid. These are all the essential measurements you need to assure sound and stable beverage production.
With the launch of Absorbance One in 2025, Vintessential has taken the spectrophotometer option further to offer a customised portable solution for small operators. A portable photometer that connects easily to your laptop with user-friendly customised software, any small winery or sole operator can use Vintessential test kits and obtain results comparable to an accredited laboratory – anywhere – anytime.
Company History
Greg Howell founded Vintessential Laboratories in 1995. As an experienced Chemist and Oenologist, he saw the opportunity to provide wineries in Australia with a reliable and top quality range of test kits so that winemakers could do their own testing for a wide range of quality parameters.
Vintessential was acquired by Winechek Pty Ltd in 2021 and now manufactures kits in their accredited laboratories.
Dr Alana Seabrook
International sales
Dr Alana Seabrook has worked in the wine industry for over 20 years in winemaking, wine research and application, wine microbiology, diagnostics and laboratory. After completing a degree in Viticulture and Oenology through the university of Verona, Italy, she completed a PhD in wine microbiology at the University of Adelaide and went on to work in industry in various production-based roles. Alana was employed as the technical manager for Laffort Australia from 2017 to 2022 at which point she moved into the Winechek laboratory group from January 2022.
Dr Seabrook completed an MBA through the University of Adelaide in 2023 whereby her masters project looked at Innovation systems in the wine industry. In her role at Winechek, she operates from the Barossa Valley and works alongside a national team of wine scientists who specialise in microbiology, biochemistry, oenology, molecular biology, and chemistry. They support wineries throughout Australia by providing analytical data and optimizing their processes.
Dr Victoria Hughes
R&D/Production Manager Vintessential test kits
Victoria was born and raised in Wales in UK where she competed both undergraduate and post Graduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Wales, Swansea.
She made the move to Australia in 2008 and after 10 years in postdoctoral research positions in analytical and instrumental biochemistry, Victoria relocated to the Yarra Valley to open the regions first independent wine analysis laboratory. Now, in its 6th year of operation the lab is growing and expanding and Victoria is using her background in biochemistry and molecular biology to expand and improve the chemical and microbiological processes available.
Dr Hughes now manages Vintessential test kit production as well as Research and Development within the group, and works closely with established research bodies to develop new technologies.
