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Scott Labs Dramatically Reduces TCA With ScottPlus™ Dry-Steam Natural Cork

Petaluma, California– July 2020 – Scott Laboratories, the leading supplier of packaging, equipment, filtration and fermentation products for the North American wine industry, is excited to share the revolutionary technology behind ScottPlus™ Dry-Steam Natural Cork.

Scott Labs was the first to bring Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) testing to the North American Wine Industry and the first to use So2 to protect natural cork. Now, after four years of research and trials, they have officially released ScottPlus, a revolutionary process that combines two technologies for the removal of TCA and other off aromas.

ScottPlus is The Clean Cork with a Clear Promise delivered at scale, with the Scott Laboratories legendary promise of quality and integrity. ScottPlus was developed for those who desire the highest guarantee against TCA and off aromas currently available. ScottPlus marries Individual Inspection with new Dry-Steam cork technology to dramatically reduce TCA and increase neutrality of cork lots.

Combining the two technologies allows Scott Labs to improve cork quality at scale and with greater reliability than any individual inspection alone.

  • Step 1: Individual inspection of cork to remove and reject corks with any “off flavors” such as TCA.
  • Step 2: The remaining corks are then run through the Dry-Steam process to further improve lot neutrality and act as a further backstop against TCA. Dry-Steam heats water past the point of condensation to sweat out TCA or other off aromas.

The result of Dry-Steam alone is a dramatic 85% reduction in the level of TCA and other off aromas. When combined with Individual Inspection, over 99% of corks show levels of TCA below detection.

Alex Scott, President of Scott Labs, comments “We’re unique in the industry in terms of trying to approach this problem through better processing. By marrying Individual Inspection with Dry-Steam technology, we’re able to improve upon anything that’s in the market currently and help restore faith in the cork industry for wineries of all sizes – in a cost-effective, scalable, dramatic fashion.”

Scott Labs is the only independent North American-owned cork company. Their independence is the cornerstone of their cork program.

  • Independence protects customer interest over supplier interest. Scott Labs has the unique ability to accept only those lots of cork that meet the most stringent QC protocols in the world.
  • Scott Labs’ TCA testing protocols are done prior to purchasing raw materials. These tests are performed by independent labs to ensure 3rd party testing removes any conflict of interest within the supply chain.

Chris Holman, General Manager of Scott Labs’ Packaging Department, comments “Our motto is ‘The Clean Cork with a Clear Promise.’ When we sell something, we do it with an absolute guarantee. We believe that good cork starts with good raw material, and with ScottPlus we’re able to take the best raw material and make it impeccable.”

In an effort to continue testing and further validating this technology, Scott Labs is in the process of conducting ongoing European validation studies in partnership with ETS Laboratories. Results from these studies will be announced over the coming weeks.

For over 80 years, Scott Laboratories has been providing the best customer experience to the specialty beverage community. Scott Labs’ mission is to advance the long-term success of the specialty beverage community by providing best-in-class products and services. They believe in education, honesty and doing the right thing.

For more information regarding ScottPlus, the history of Scott Labs’ cork program, and their Portuguese operations, please visit https://shop.scottlab.com/cleancork.