Ozone for disinfecting wine barrels

Where wine bottling is concerned, one must make special mention of the use of ozone in the disinfection of wine barrels. It is the only system that guarantees control of bacterial contamination of the barrel without affecting the wood.

Ozone is very effective in eliminating contaminants like Acetobacter, Lactobacilus, etc., as well as in the treatment of barrels with a high index of 4-Etil-phenol, a sign of Brettanomyces.

The consequences of this microorganism in the wines it affects range from a ‘mousy’ smell to a medicinal taste, or even a 'barnyard’ aroma.
It is a kind of yeast which is very tough to eliminate and its development is unpredictable. Consequently, the losses that it can cause can be very high indeed.

After fermentation of the must, there are still traces of sugar that this type of yeast can use for its own development.
It grows slowly and its metabolism is complex.
In many cases, the presence of these pollutants does not imply that the wine is going to go off, and may not do so for a long period of time.
In other cases, a barrel or bottle may contain an excellent wine, only to yield another one with highly volatile acidity and unpleasant aromas just a few weeks later.

The best system for cleaning and sanitizing barrels is a two-stage process.
First of all, high-pressure hot water is used to dissolve tartrates and to clean the barrel. The hot water also serves to open wood pores.
The second stage consists of rinsing with cold ozonated water, for sterilizing and contracting the pores of the wood.