WINES TO TRY
Some noteworthy biodynamic producers:
Alois Lageder
Benziger Family Winery
Bonny Doon Vineyard
Brick House Vineyard
Clos de la Coulee de Serrant
Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
Domaine Leroy
Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Emiliana
Maison Joseph Drouhin
M. Chapoutier
Montinore Estate
When the subject of biodynamic grape-growing comes up, nonbelievers and the fearful lob terms like new age, hippie, wizardry and witchcraft (neither of the last two in the good sense), and a few other words that are far less charitable.
To be fair, the practice is out there. It is so far out there that a key player in it is the cosmos, and not just the sun and rain part of the cosmos _ the moon and stars part too. Biodynamics is a beyond-organic way of farming that is based on the theories of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and otherwise multifaceted smartie who died in 1925 at age 64. The super-easy concepts to understand include taking a holistic approach to farming _ acknowledging the symbiosis of all living things, from microorganisms to mammals _ and swearing off the use of man-made chemicals. It all seems reasonable until you get to the specific ways in which these philosophies are put into play.
Hang in there, and we will get to just how unconventional biodynamic farming is, but meanwhile keep in mind that some of the world's most sought-after wines come from grapes grown in biodynamic vineyards. Some of the world's most sought-after wines surely also come from grapes grown in conventional and organic vineyards. So biodynamics is not the end-all. But there is evidence that it works.
For outsiders, the confusion usually starts with preparation 500, which calls for the burying of a cow horn filled with manure (at a specific depth); and ends with preparation 508, which is a tea made of horsetail _ the plant, not the posterior appendage of a Lipizzaner. But that would not seem out of the question, come to think of it.
Preparations 501 through 507 involve: ground quartz packed into a cow horn and buried; yarrow flowers stuffed into a deer bladder, and left in the sun and then buried; chamomile flowers stuffed into a cow intestine and buried; stinging nettles just plain buried; oak bark chopped up and packed into the skull of a farm animal and buried near a water source; dandelion flowers stuffed into cow mesentery (it's abdominal connective tissue _ you can open your eyes now) and buried; and valerian flowers extracted in water.
These nine preparations _ the actual products of these procedures _ are used in sprays and composts, which is the easy-to-swallow part. It's not hard to grasp that various completely natural treatments could be beneficial to crops. Some people tilt their heads, though, when talk turns to the cycles of the moon, stars, planets and the wee hours of the morning when certain tasks must be carried out, and the general spiritual nature of the practice.
Demeter, the organization that certifies biodynamic vineyards, claims that when the animal organs are stuffed and buried, their contents "collect cosmic forces." Well, OK, no one can really say that they don't. But the question for the rational-thinking person is, "How do you know they do?" It sounds like the God question, I know, and when you talk to biodynamic winemakers, you quickly notice that they are as passionate and sure about their ways as any religious convert is.
Demeter, which is named for the Greek goddess of the harvest, advises anyone considering a conversion to biodynamic farming to be "open to a holistic view of the natural world, which goes beyond the knowledge gained purely from natural science." So it's not just science. It's philosophy and spirituality too.
A few years ago, I stood on a hillside overlooking two adjacent vineyards _ biodynamic on the left, nonbiodynamic on the right. It was like being at a drive-in movie theater with two huge screens. On the left was a high-definition film, bursting with lush color. On the right was a sepia-toned still photograph. This, of course, proves nothing except that, in that case, biodynamic farming resulted in healthier-looking crops. But several studies have backed up the actual health of the land and the plants.
As for the wine itself, professional tasters have cited opinions ranging from "This is clearly better" to "I can't really tell a difference." I usually notice a difference _ a pronounced freshness _ but I sometimes wonder if it's psychosomatic, because I knew beforehand that the wine was biodynamic. What I know for sure is that drinking biodynamic wine always sounds good to me _ for the sake of my body _ and that biodynamic farming is always good for the earth and its creatures. It just makes sense (even though most of it is not easy to instantly understand).
Farming according to these principles is time-consuming, and it requires a practitioner who is open to the possibilities of the universe's _ I don't know _ communication. I don't think Demeter expects people to be a firm believer from the start _ just open to the possibility that they might experience things that will change them.
Biodynamic winemakers are not all hippie-dippie. Some are. Others have clean haircuts and wear rain slickers and fleeces that would fit in at any nouveau riche country club. But all the ones I've met, when they talk, have a depth and a focus in their eyes. To bring it back to religion, there is also a fire in their souls that, unlike the aforementioned cosmic forces, is palpable. They believe. That part is as clear as can be.
