(Wines&Vines) - Although aqueous ozone is commonly used in the cellar as a sanitizer, a few companies are seeking to expand its role in winemaking.

Some see it as an effective foliar treatment for crops, and another firm is touting a process that uses gaseous ozone to eliminate the use of sulfur dioxide in winemaking.

Ozone is an allotrope of oxygen with one more atom than the far more prevalent and breathable O2. The extra atom makes ozone a powerful oxidizing agent, and this property is what has made it such a popular sanitizer. Ozone is used in water treatment, food storage and distribution and several other industries.

Ernie Wilmink is the founder of AgriOzein, a company based in Lindsay, Neb., that produces ozone generators designed to provide disease and pest control in vineyards. Wilmink’s firm builds sprayer units equipped with ozone generators at a factory in Wakeeney, Kan.

Less spraying in the vineyard

When Wilmink spoke to Wines & Vines about his ozone systems, he said he had just sold his 49th spray unit in the United States. Wilmink is looking to convince growers to make the switch to ozone, arguing they’ll save money by using smaller amounts of chemicals and treating their grapes with something that doesn’t leave any residue. Growers in the Midwest have become proponents of ozone as a vineyard tool, since summer rains and humidity in the region require a much more frequent rate of spray application to keep pests and disease in check.

Wilmink’s standard “turn-key” ozone sprayer rig costs just under $25,000. The unit comes with a 100-gallon tank, and the application rate is typically 30-35 gallons per acre. To ensure the ozone application is effective, Wilmink said the water needs to have at least 750 mV of oxidation-reduction potential. He said most of his clients measure this with a handheld probe. Wilmink said ozone appears to offer growers more benefits than just reduced chemical use. He said clients who have been using his system for years say their vines are healthier overall and appear to be in better balance and producing grapes of higher quality.

In the Russian River Valley, John Bacigalupi, the owner and president of Bacigalupi Vineyards, is the first California grower to purchase one of Wilmink’s ozone generators.