SAWLA was established in January 2002 in response to calls from the South African wine laboratories and wine makers for more accurate and reliable laboratory results. Based on the needs of the member laboratories, they voluntarily became members to the Interlaboratory Round Robin Organisation that evolved into SAWLA.

SAWLA functions as a subsection of the South African Society for Enology and Viticulture (SASEV) and is the only established and recognized Interlaboratory Comparison Scheme for wine laboratories in South Africa. SAWLA has been at the forefront of promoting excellence and standardisation in wine laboratory practices across South Africa. As a dedicated non-profit organisation, SAWLA provides essential support and services to member laboratories within the wine industry, promoting high standards of analytical accuracy and reliability.

The aim of SAWLA is to improve the quality and outputs of the wine-testing laboratories that are serving the South African Wine Industry, by ensuring the majority of all the various laboratories are involved with wine analysis participation in the Interlaboratory Comparison Scheme. SAWLA is committed to enhancing the quality and integrity of wine analysis and offers a range of activities designed to support laboratories in the Wine Industry.