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What Are Biodynamic Wines?
With the Harvest Moon swiftly approaching and grape clusters already being picked across the Northern Hemisphere, let’s discuss one of the most complicated (and, for some, controversial) topics in the wine industry: biodynamics.
Biodynamic farming stems from the early-20th century teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the eccentric Austrian multi-hyphenate whose theories straddle the realms of science and supernatural. A self-proclaimed clairvoyant, Steiner and his ideas are easy to dismiss as utter quackery. The problem with such assumptions, however, is that many of the world’s finest wines continue to be farmed according to his principles.
How Do Biodynamics Actually Work?
Central to the philosophy of biodynamic viticulture is the reduction of chemicals in the vineyard and cellar. Its relationship to organics is that of a square to a rectangle. Biodynamic wines are by default organic, but not all organic wines qualify as biodynamic. Instead, biodynamics take organics several steps farther. At its core, biodynamic farming believes a vineyard should be self-sustaining, with the idea that a vineyard is, in essence, a “farm organism.”
To build up vine resistance to pests and diseases, biodynamic winegrowers apply a series of “biodynamic preparations” to their vineyards. There are nine preparations in total, and they are administered either through sprays or through composts. While biodynamic preparations can be purchased, the most observant practitioners will often create their own from scratch. Their production methods can be eccentric. One necessitates burying a cow horn filled with silica paste and unearthing it at the end of summer. Another involves stuffing a deer bladder with yarrow flowers, drying it in the sun, and then burying it for the winter. Each preparation serves a different purpose in the growing cycle, from root stimulus and aid for photosynthesis to fungicidal remedies and nutrient uptake.
Filling cow horns with manure to make biodynamic preparation 500
The most globally recognized certifying body for biodynamic wines is Demeter, named after the Greek goddess of the harvest. Many biodynamic wineries, however, forego formal certification, or take a more reformed approach, borrowing certain principles while rejecting others.
What Does This Have to Do with the Moon?
"Critics are quick to decry (biodynamic) beliefs as fanatical woo woo pseudoscience... However, as Master of Wine Stephen Skelton explains in his book on viticulture, the moon is more powerful than often given credit. If its pull can move over 100 billion tonnes of water in the Bay of Fundy over the course of 12 hours, would it not have some influence on the water in a plant or the wine in your glass?"
Many of the most controversial aspects of biodynamic farming relate to its more spiritual, almost religious, and astrological demands. In addition to the application of preparations, biodynamic winegrowers make decisions timed to the solar, planetary, and lunar calendars. Nearly every aspect of the growing season is dictated by various windows of opportunity in relation to the cycles of the moon, and its relationship to the planets.
Further, the core components of the vine are identified as leaf, flower, root, and fruit, and each is tied to one of the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Decisions relating to each component are carried out in relation to the skies. There are root days and fruit days, flower days and leaf days—and some are believed better for performing certain vineyard operations than others. This extends to the consumer—you want to drink your wine on a fruit day, but never on a root day, according to biodynamic adherents.
Critics are quick to decry these beliefs as fanatical woo woo pseudoscience. Indeed, there is little scientific backing behind them. However, as Master of Wine Stephen Skelton explains in his book on viticulture, the moon is more powerful than often given credit. If its pull can move over 100 billion tonnes of water in the Bay of Fundy over the course of 12 hours, would it not have some influence on the water in a plant or the wine in your glass?
Are Biodynamic Wines Better?
This is where things get trickiest. Since many biodynamic practices remain scientifically unexplained, at best, it is difficult to correlate biodynamic farming with increased quality. The more ritualistic aspects of biodynamics certainly require a leap of faith in assuming that they result in wines that taste better. At the end of the day, great biodynamic wines necessitate the same things of great wines of any sort—a top site, excellent fruit, benevolent vintage conditions, and a talented team of winemakers and viticulturalists to guide the whole process.
At the same time, many of the world’s most revered wine estates are biodynamic. Their results are so convincing—vintage after vintage—that it is hard to imagine the whole ideology is a total fluke. Practitioners of biodynamics will readily show you photos of their vineyards before and after conversion to biodynamic farming, or they might just invite you to take a look at their vines next to their neighbors. To the naked eye, the results are often striking; the biodynamic vineyards often just look healthier.
While the exact machinations of biodynamics are difficult to prove, I will throw out one hypothesis. Biodynamic winegrowers are among the most meticulous in the global wine industry. They know their vines intimately and often individually, and they spend countless hours walking their estate, monitoring vine health, and engaging in hand labor. Even if no science behind biodynamics is provable, who can deny the benefits of hyper-engaged nurturing of the vine? In short, why wouldn’t higher care for each vine make for better wine?
