Since before the end of Prohibition in 1933, Scott Laboratories has distinguished itself as a leading supplier of value-added products for the wine, craft brewing and spirits industries, specializing in staff winemaking expertise and top-notch customer service.
Today, the Petaluma, CA based business has once again brought an innovative bent to the market by adding The Oak Lab™, a division of the company dedicated to oak infusion products, to an already impressive portfolio of winemaking options.
“We have a holistic view of the winemaking process,” notes Scott Laboratories’ Sales Enablement Manager Monica Royer. “When we’re considering any type of product, we ask ourselves, ‘how does it fit into the entire enological process, and ultimately, wine quality?’ With oak alternatives, we saw a gap that needed to be filled.”
The Oak Lab™ was created to bring a fresh perspective to the existing rank of oak infusion methodologies by singling out production methods which addressed the holistic wine profile.
In the discovery of what is now the flagship line of product, the Thermic line, a unique and proprietary method for heating oak, the team is ready to introduce a range and sensory profile unmatched in the market today. Aside from the sought-after profile, the singular production methodology allows for unparalleled consistency.
“This is a unique breakthrough in terms of the consistency and reliability of a product,” explains Domingo Rodriguez, Scott Laboratories’ Director of New Products and Partnerships. “Usually when you do trial in a bottle and scale up to a tank, you get variance. With the Thermic products, there is a consistent toast over time that’s completely scalable from bottle to tank.”
Thermic heating is a combustion-free process that differs from traditional oak infusion, where the products are typically toasted, baked or electrically radiated.
It produces zero smoke, tightens the wood for steady, more even extraction, produces complex, consistent flavor compounds and allows for temperature control with unparalleled accuracy.
“Mother Nature’s forecast already has plenty of variability that she throws at you in the vineyard,” Rodriguez points out. “The last thing you need is an inconsistency between trial and reality.”
In addition to oak infusion, Scott Laboratories has been specializing for the last eight decades in fermentation and cellar products, such as yeast, nutrients, enzymes, tannins and fining materials; filtration equipment, media, parts & accessories; closures, including corks, screw caps, capsules, foils and cages; and equipment for winemaking, brewing and distilling operations, including crushpads, presses, pumps and tools.
For information on The Oak Lab, please visit www.theoaklab.com.
