Petaluma, California – December 2020 – Scott Laboratories, the leading supplier of packaging,  equipment, filtration and fermentation products for the North American wine industry, is excited to share  initial results as provided by ETS Laboratories for a validation study conducted by Scott Laboratories.  

ETS Laboratories, an independent wine analysis lab headquartered in Saint Helena, performed the  analyses on corks submitted to them to evaluate Scott Labs’ proprietary cleaning process for cork  closures – a process Scott Labs has coined as “Dry-Steam” technology. The goal of the study was to  provide Scott Labs with preliminary information on the efficacy of the cleaning process based on  measuring TCA before and after the Dry-Steam treatment.  

Scott Labs’ standard QC process rejects any cork bale that shows results higher than 1ppt of TCA. However, for the sake of this study, Scott Labs provided ETS with natural cork samples containing  varying levels of TCA prior to receiving the Dry-Steam treatment, in order to completely and accurately  test the efficacy of the technology on a wide range of corks.  

Initial cork samples were individually tested by ETS Labs with significant results. All corks with less than  10ppt of TCA prior to receiving the Dry-Steam treatment showed undetectable levels of TCA (less than  1ppt) after going through the Dry-Steam process.  

Alex Scott, President of Scott Labs, comments “We’re the oldest and only independent cork supplier in  the US wine industry, continuously striving to produce innovative methods of reducing TCA and  increasing overall quality in natural cork closures. By marrying individual inspection with Dry-Steam  technology, we’re able to drastically improve cork quality beyond anything that’s currently available in the  market. Backed by our Scott Promise, across all cork products, at no additional cost to the customer.” 

Scott Labs is the only independent North American-owned cork company. Robert Scott, Alex Scott’s  grandfather, imported the company’s first cork in 1974, making Scott Labs the oldest and most  experienced importer in North America. The company’s enduring independence and integrity are the  cornerstones 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. 
• As a family-owned organization with a mission and core belief in “education, honesty, and doing  the right thing,” Scott Labs’ reputation rests on each cork and the transparency of their program.

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 our Dry-Steam technology we’re able to  take the best raw material and make it impeccable.”

Due to the overwhelming success of their Dry Steam process, Scott Labs is now able to offer  the Scott Promise™ program.

Scott Promise: 100% clean cork or Scott Labs will buy the bottle back. Every cork, every day,  at no additional cost to the customer. Winemakers can have confidence that their  wine is protected, and quality is preserved with 100% clean cork purchased from Scott Labs. That’s their way of doing business. To find out more about what the Scott Promise program entails, as well as the applicable terms, limitations and conditions of the Promise program, visit https://scottlab.com/cork independence.

To learn more about Scott Labs’ Dry-Steam process and ScottPlus™ Natural Cork, visit https://scottlab.com/cleancork.

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