Original Main Street Laboratory in 1981

ETS was established in 1978 by Gordon and Marjorie Burns, in the basement of their Main Street home, to provide the rapidly expanding California Wine Industry with technical assistance and laboratory support.

At first, ETS concentrated on microbiological issues and routine chemical analyses. As the industry developed in size and complexity, winery clients looked increasingly to ETS for more advanced analytical services.

ETS responded by investing in modern equipment and facilities and hiring highly trained technicians and researchers. This effort allowed ETS clients to benefit from the latest in technological advances.

Introducing new technology and developing methods to meet client needs has been a cornerstone of this development process. The evolution of gas chromatography at ETS is a good example.

GC with flame ionization was introduced in the 1978, making analysis of volatile wine components possible. GC/MS (1985) greatly broadened the range of analyses and substantially lowered detection limits. SPME GC/MS (1996) eliminated solvent extractions, improving lab safety and allowing analysis of compounds present in extremely low concentrations. GC/Chemiluminescence (1998) allowed analysis of whole new classes of compounds. New developments in extraction and detection for GC are currently being tested, part of a continual process of improvement.

Other technologies have followed similar development paths. Today ETS is one of the most advanced wine analysis laboratories in the world.

Accompanying technical innovation has been a strong commitment to data quality. Improving data quality control has been an integral part of change at ETS. In 1997 ETS initiated a program to achieve full ISO accreditation. ETS was awarded ISO 17025 accreditation by the Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) making it the first and only independent, domestic wine laboratory with ISO 17025 accreditation.