Dear AxisOfBeagles:

On Jan 3, 12:12*pm, AxisOfBeagles > wrote:
> First, thank you for an excellent link.

Actually, you can thank Google... ;>)

> But I fail to see where the
> article suggests that ozone is a treatment for tainted barrels,
> other than the Fresno study showing that ozone killed a
> brett infection. If the taint, as indicated in the OP, is a VA
> problem (such as an acetobacter contamination) then I still
> find no indication that ozone is a treatment for such.

The link specifically states that acetobacter is killed by ozone.

http://www.oxicom.es/eng/embotellado...o_barricas.php
http://www.icwt.net/conference/Ozone...ron%20Tapp.pdf
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0...shing-hot.html
... (not pushing membership, nor can I read the entire article)
http://www.newworldwinemaker.com/art...ent.asp?id=159
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...ournalCode=fri
http://www.springerlink.com/content/t1299uj3g2n82562/

> I agree with the primary premise of the article - ozone is
> arguably the most effective barrel sanitizer available, imaprts
> no taint of it's own to the barrel,

... it can be a little hard on the natural epoxy binder. I remember
seeing a customer's installation that decided he did not need an ozone
destruct unit, and how his wooden shingles near the offgas vent looked
after two months...

> is environmentally less imapctful than many alternatives,
> and seems to have no adverse impact on the qualities of
> the oak that the winemaker desires. But other than the
> one study regarding Brett, this article does not seem to
> suggest that ozone is a treatment for barrel contaminations
> that result in VA in your wine. Does it?

See links above. Only one of which is actual peer reviewed
literature.

> >http://www.carlsenassociates.com/web...O3-Article.pdf
>
> > Seems like it can be a treatment for tainted barrels also.

Ozone only has difficulties with slime-forming, colony-forming
organisms.

A "soak" probably would not be advantageous, but a vigorous spray
should place high concentration ozone near the barrel wall.

http://www.bionewsonline.com/q/1/microbial_d.htm
... gaseous ozone and treatment of viable barley for fungus

http://www.asm.org/Media/index.asp?bid=42949
... even inactivation of "mad cow" prions with ozone (which surprised
the hell out of me).

Just can't ignore the ozone offgas.

David A. Smith