By Elspeth Brown
While we all know that breathing in ozone is harmful for all organisms, there might be some benefits, a little golden lining. The health benefits are still being discussed and argued over in the medical field, but there are definite benefits in the wine world.
The Glass Fire started on September 27, 2020, in northern California near St. Helena, and lasted for 27 days. It destroyed multiple wineries and tainted the grapevines with ash and smoke. Typically, grapevines can withstand fire damage, but not at this level. Most of the grapes in the area were picked by October 1 when the harvest was just beginning. Even with the grapes being picked early in the season, the wine still tastes of ash. Tasting some of the newer 2020 vintages, one can find the smoky, ashy notes in the wines. Wine is a living organism that must be nurtured from vine to bottle. The French word for fermenting and aging is elevage, which means “to raise,” as you would a child.
California winemakers tried in vain to “raise” their wines to be the right vintage for 2020, but ran into a struggle. Ozone helped some of those vintners out.
Ozone is a pale blue gas with a strong, pungent smell. It is natural and man-made. Stratospheric ozone, occurring in the upper atmosphere, is beneficial because it protects living organisms from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ground level ozone is bad because it can trigger lung diseases in people and harm the environment. So, why in the world would we want to use any of these harmful substances on a beautiful wine that we are going to willingly put in our bodies?
Ozone has been used in vineyards as a sanitizing agent for the crush pad and to clean barrels. Winemakers also use ozonated water to spray on the grapes to control the microbial growth and reduce the amount of chemicals and pesticides. It’s an alternative to using chemicals on the vines and sulfur dioxide to sanitize. The use of ozonated water does produce a slight delay in the maturity of the grapes; the acidity level tends to be higher and can slightly change the aroma profile. Companies such as Purfresh bring their technology to the vineyard in the form of ozone-equipped refrigerated containers. At specific concentrations, ozone can delicately permeate the skin of the grape and reduce volatile compounds caused by smoke. Studies have shown that while some of the smoke and ash flavor profiles are still present, the process significantly reduced the smoke levels by almost three-quarters.
Ozone treatment might sound like a fad or a futuristic approach, but it really works. When winemakers are presented with the future of losing an entire vintage or saving it without chemicals and pesticides, this form of treatment seems pretty darn exciting.
Elspeth Brown is the owner of Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store, 10 C South Main Street in Weaverville. For information, visit MaggieBsWine.com or call 828.645.1111.
