Biodynamic wine is made from grapes grown according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture, which sees the vineyard as part of a holistic system. Biodynamic wine requires a lot of attention to be paid to the vineyard and its relationship with the rest of its natural environment. There are more than 450 wineries around the world producing biodynamic wine, and many specific biodynamic preparations are used in a biodynamic vineyard, some of which may seem strange.
Biodynamic wine is a wine made from grapes grown according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic wine may, in some places, be certified by an organization, but in many others it is simply labeled by the winemaker. Although some wineries source both biodynamic grapes and non-biodynamic grapes and make wines from both, generally a biodynamic winemaker will make biodynamic wine exclusively.
The theory of biodynamic agriculture is largely based on the theories of anthroposophy developed by Rudolph Steiner in the early 20th century. The basic premise is to see the vineyard as part of a holistic system, where plants and soil are just two components. Everything from insects, to other large animals that live on the earth, to water, the sun, the stars and the moon, are seen as integrally connected to the health of the vine and the grapes themselves. For this reason, biodynamic wine requires a lot of attention to be paid to the vineyard and its relationship with the rest of its natural environment.
Due to the mystical components of biodynamic winemaking methods, there are many outspoken critics against the practice. Many people say that there is little or no difference between biodynamic wine and wine that is simply organic and the mystical components just wave so much. Others note that biodynamic winemaking requires such an intense amount of energy to be spent tracing the vineyard to align practices with things like celestial alignment, that the winemaker is likely to spend more time and attention on their vineyard than they do. a non-biodynamic winemaker, resulting in a higher quality crop.
However, biodynamic wine is incredibly popular around the world and its popularity has grown immensely in recent years. There are more than 450 medium to large wineries around the world producing biodynamic wine, including some notable wineries in major growing regions in France, California, Italy, Germany and Australia. These include famous wineries in Burgundy, such as Domaine Leroy and Domaine Leflaive, and wineries in Alsace such as Domaine Zind Humbrecht.
Many specific biodynamic preparations are used in a biodynamic vineyard, some of which may seem a little strange to those unfamiliar with biodynamic principles. The use of a cow’s horn, for example, as a vessel for holding preparations that are buried in the ground seems to some to be strange and primitive. Proponents of biodynamic wine, however, believe such preparations help increase the health and vitality of the vineyard, ultimately improving the quality of the wine.
There are nine main preparations used in biodynamic wine, the first two being among the most important. Preparation 500, for example, consists of cow manure buried in a cow horn in the ground. This preparation is buried on the autumnal equinox and excavated on the vernal equinox, at which point it is added to the culture, where it is said to increase the presence of beneficial microorganisms. Preparation 501, is made of powdered quartz silica, which is re-buried in a cow’s horn for six months, then dug up and sprayed on crops to stimulate growth. The theory behind this is that when sunlight hits the silica powder, it refracts, as the quartz acts like a prism, which stimulates the plant to produce more chlorophyll.
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