Biodynamic Wine

Biodynamic Wine

I don’t know much about biodynamic wine, but I do believe that the biodynamic wine is:

• Equal parts organic gardening, astrology and something else entirely (e.g., practices such as burying a cow horn full of manure at the autumn equinox, esoteric stuff like that)
• Frequently fruity and lush – perhaps a bit too much so
• More likely to remain “drinkable” longer (this from Dave Thomas of H2Vino)
• Seemingly more likely to express terroir as the grapes come from land that is “uncontaminated” with fertilizers and insecticides (my supposition)
• A misnomer – the wine isn’t biodynamic; it’s the grapes
• Only vaguely understood, even by grape growers and vintners

The only time I’m sure I’ve ever had biodynamic wine is when Melissa Graham invited a bunch of us to Frontera/Topolobampo to sample some; it was pretty good, but I’m not sure I can say what made it different than, you know, regular wine.

At The Slanted Door last Saturday I was offered a sip of my friend's Indian Summer cocktail composed partly of biodynamic elderberry liqueur. For our second round the friendly bartender let us take a gander at the bottle. Must be something in the air, cuz the latest Food and Wine(quoted above) has an article on biodynamism. Sounds like a bunch of hoohaw to me, but then I feel the same way about homeopathy, astrology, and the resonance of essences.

Dave,

Rudolf Steiner, who came up with biodynamic farming as well as the Waldorf school system (which as you know, my kids attend), was one of those hyperactive 19th century sorts who make all of us look like the slackers we are. Like a lot of arty types back then (William Morris, the pre-Raphaelites, Huysmans, etc.), Steiner personally benefited from the way modernity freed Europe's intellectual life from the stultifying orthodoxy of king and church, but had an instinctive aesthetic reaction against the products of modernity and industrialization--belching brick factories, iron railway bridges, all that stuff we find picturesque now. (Remember that Maupassant claimed to dine every night in the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, because it was the only place in Paris from which the view was not marred by that iron monstrosity on the skyline.)

Steiner's reaction was basically to invent his own system of European folkways. (Imagine if Tolkien, instead of writing books about middle-earth, had started schools full of Elf-history lesson plans and Hobbit naptime tales.) Often there's some degree of science underlying them-- as organic gardening underlies biodynamic farming-- but Steiner couched everything in more or less invented peasant rituals, like burying the horn full of a certain form of manure.

Even if this strikes you as a bit dotty, the proof is in the biodynamic pudding, and the biodynamic wines I've had have generally been extremely well-made, flavorful, clean-tasting wines. And the children I've had and educated through the Waldorf system have been creative, interested in the world around them, well-socialized, good-natured and kindly. One could ask (in regards to the wine) if the wines are better because the system makes better wine or because only better, more thoughtful winemakers attuned to nature would follow the system, but Steiner probably wouldn't think that was a meaningful distinction; if the rituals nurtured the winemakers spiritually in the process of doing what they would have done anyway, then they worked, as peasant rituals have always worked. The use of ritual and the attention paid to nature and the seasons is charming when seen through a child's eyes but deeply satisfying to any of us, I think, reconnecting us to the natural world in ways that anyone interested in food would find a pleasant antidote to a world that has only grown more busy and industrial than it was in Steiner's day.

Mike G wrote:One could ask (in regards to the wine) if the wines are better because the system makes better wine or because only better, more thoughtful winemakers attuned to nature would follow the system, but Steiner probably wouldn't think that was a meaningful distinction; if the rituals nurtured the winemakers spiritually in the process of doing what they would have done anyway, then they worked, as peasant rituals have always worked.

Using only horses to plow land, so that the earth stays uncompressed and yielding to the root; letting the natural processes of horses shitting on land promote the plants; and who knows, maybe permitting the gentle vibe of horse and horseman influence the environment in such a way that plants grow...happier. Yeah, I'm feeling kind of crazy talking about this, but a gentler approach to nurturing the land seems likelier to yield a product that pleases me than a rougher, over-fertilized, high fructose corn-fired fully mechanized crop clearing operation could ever hope to achieve. And those freakier farmers who work the softer land are probably the ones I’d rather know and work with.

Christopher Gordon wrote: Must be something in the air, cuz the latest Food and Wine(quoted above) has an article on biodynamism. Sounds like a bunch of hoohaw to me, but then I feel the same way about homeopathy, astrology, and the resonance of essences.

What you sense in the air is autumn, when a boys’ thoughts turn to wine (I understand there was a major press of vintners here week before last; ‘tis the season) or coffee (there’s a reason why both the front page story in New City and Trib food section today focus on java – it’s getting colder, bro).

Thanks for the heads-up on the latest Food and Wine; I’ll pick one up tomorrow.

David Hammond wrote:Using only horses to plow land, so that the earth stays uncompressed and yielding to the root; letting the natural processes of horses shitting on land promote the plants; and who knows, maybe permitting the gentle vibe of horse and horseman influence the environment in such a way that plants grow...happier. Yeah, I'm feeling kind of crazy talking about this, but a gentler approach to nurturing the land seems likelier to yield a product that pleases me than a rougher, over-fertilized, high fructose corn-fired fully mechanized crop clearing operation could ever hope to achieve. And those freakier farmers who work the softer land are probably the ones I’d rather know and work with.

I don't know anything about biodynamism, but I don't think you've crossed into crazy-talk with what you write above.

I was totally knocked out by the section on Polyface Farms in Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. There's plenty of science to counterbalance romance when considering justifications for non-industrial agriculture. Not that Polyface's Joel Salatin doesn't himself drive from a balance of spiritual and scientific rationales, but the actual intensively managed operations sound like pretty solid rationality to me.

Every now and then I splurge for some biodynamic floursand other baking goods that I can purchase here in Stockholm.

While I don't know if it's due to the stars being correctly aligned during harvest or simply a farmer who cares about his land and product, the flour (in my opinion) is considerably better than "normal" flour.

germuska wrote:I was totally knocked out by the section on Polyface Farms in Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. There's plenty of science to counterbalance romance when considering justifications for non-industrial agriculture. Not that Polyface's Joel Salatin doesn't himself drive from a balance of spiritual and scientific rationales, but the actual intensively managed operations sound like pretty solid rationality to me.

Just posted on Food Chain, Re: Salatin:

http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/food/200 ... down-farm/

I appreciate a dogpile as much as the next redblooded male, however biodynamism, regardless of provenance or imprimature, smacks to me of, at the very least, wishful thinking. Of course, if the end result excels then by all means wave yon thou wishbone thrice to the left of my chalice and mumble incantations as thou wilt.

The s/o's estimable farmer father planted his fenceposts by the positions of the stars...and they never did leach themselves from the ground.

I had a biodynamic wine (or at least one that was listed on the menu as "biodynamic") at Avec last night, as it caught my eye based on this thread. Overall, it was -- to steal a line -- pretty good, but I'm not sure I can say what made it different than, you know, regular wine.

Looking back at Avec's wine list, the wine was "04 Mas de Gourgonnier, Les Baux de Provence (biodynamic cabernet, grenache, syrah)."

When estates like Domaine Leroy and Romanee Conti adhere to these practices, I assume it probably has some meaning as they know a bit more about grape farming and wine making.

boidynamic wines are probably more common than you think. most european producers choose not label there wines in such a manner b/c they have been producing in that method for a long time - many of the methods endorsed by biodynamics are based on superstitions/practices that date long before. alsace and burgundy for instance.

boidynamic wines are probably more common than you think. most european producers choose not label there wines in such a manner b/c they have been producing in that method for a long time - many of the methods endorsed by biodynamics are based on superstitions/practices that date long before. alsace and burgundy for instance.

When estates like Domaine Leroy and Romanee Conti adhere to these practices

Chapoutier, too, he's one of the biggest names to be mostly biodynamic. And yes, Mas de Gourgonnier is a very nice, reasonably priced wine (I've even driven by the vineyards), and one of the easiest French biodynamic wines to find here.

I appreciate a dogpile as much as the next redblooded male, however biodynamism, regardless of provenance or imprimature, smacks to me of, at the very least, wishful thinking.

I don't disagree, and I occasionally express exasperation at people at the kids' school who linger for months with ineffective homeopathic treatments for something that antibiotics would clear up in two days (and much of biodynamism is basically homeopathic agriculture, like medicine using things in functionally insignificant quantities), but again, part of the point is that the rituals and tradition give meaning to the process of doing something, and keep you in touch with the land, the seasons, etc. in ways that assembly line, agribusiness processes do not.

Mike G wrote:

When estates like Domaine Leroy and Romanee Conti adhere to these practices

Chapoutier, too, he's one of the biggest names to be mostly biodynamic. And yes, Mas de Gourgonnier is a very nice, reasonably priced wine (I've even driven by the vineyards), and one of the easiest French biodynamic wines to find here.

I appreciate a dogpile as much as the next redblooded male, however biodynamism, regardless of provenance or imprimature, smacks to me of, at the very least, wishful thinking.

I don't disagree, and I occasionally express exasperation at people at the kids' school who linger for months with ineffective homeopathic treatments for something that antibiotics would clear up in two days (and much of biodynamism is basically homeopathic agriculture, like medicine using things in functionally insignificant quantities), but again, part of the point is that the rituals and tradition give meaning to the process of doing something, and keep you in touch with the land, the seasons, etc. in ways that assembly line, agribusiness processes do not.

Undeniably, there's a poetry there.

kaze wrote:biodynamic wines are probably more common than you think.

Brian Duncan (Wine Steward, Bin 36) told me that 30% of wines from Mendocino are biodynamic, and there are several biodynamic wines that he likes a lot.

Whether or not the buried horn filled with manure has much impact on the soil and the grapes, what seems certain is that farmers who follow biodynamic principles spend a lot of time in the fields, a lot of time thinking about and being very conscious of what they're doing, and that extra effort -- whether intellectual, emotional or spiritual -- seems sometimes to translate to a better bottle of wine. At a minimum, it couldn't hurt.

Love Mas de Gourgonnier (and I've tasted there...) but they have a bit of a brett issue IMHO there is something Bio going on there without a doubt....
The only surprise for me was seeing a mechanical harvester bring in the grapes from the field just in front of the winery. Something is wrong with that...

As much as I like the wine, my wife can spot the brett about 10 seconds after I open a bottle of the regular cuvee. I only open them when I know she's not going to be drinking.

mhill95149 wrote:Love Mas de Gourgonnier (and I've tasted there...) but they have a bit of a brett issue IMHO there is something Bio going on there without a doubt....
The only surprise for me was seeing a mechanical harvester bring in the grapes from the field just in front of the winery. Something is wrong with that...

As much as I like the wine, my wife can spot the brett about 10 seconds after I open a bottle of the regular cuvee. I only open them when I know she's not going to be drinking.

Had a bottle of 2005 Mas ge Gourgonnier with dinner last night; did not notice any funky brett-i-ness, and it seems like this light red would be a fairly versatile beverage (though it got a little lost with an Elk burger).

A mechanical harvester seems out of place in a biodynamic operation, but my understanding is that growers/wine makers follow biodynamic principles "more or less" -- not all of them plant the horn, etc., though using heavy equipment seems a definite violation of fundamental principles.

A segment I just finished on biodynamic wine is scheduled to run this Friday, 11/16, on 848, Chicago Public Radio. 91.5FM, between 9-10AM. You can listen online or download the show at:

http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/program_848.aspx

I don’t know much about biodynamic wine, but

a segment I just finished on biodynamic wine is scheduled to run this Friday, 11/16, on 848, Chicago Public Radio.

An expert is born.

Mike G wrote:

I don’t know much about biodynamic wine, but

a segment I just finished on biodynamic wine is scheduled to run this Friday, 11/16, on 848, Chicago Public Radio.

An expert is born.

Hey, I just talk to people who know stuff, but thanks for the skepticism.

Perhaps I should have indicated that this topic, like others I've contributed to on LTHForum, might generate information that could come up again in the context of articles, radio shows, etc. Biodynamic wine was on my mind, I was researching it, so I posted about it. Apologies if that rubs anyone the wrong way.

I have been reading a little about Doktor Steiner and Bio-Dynamic farming. Interestingly, Steiner concocted the concept of bio-dynamics rather late in his philosophical career, on a commission from an agro-industry group. I suspect he lubed the pseudoscience up with a lot of snake oil to make it seem more magical and therefore more appealing to a peasant population. From what I can tell, bio-dynamic farming is composed of 1/3 common sense and 2/3 horse-manure.

I would tend to say that he lubed the snake oil with some science to make it actually effective, but the peasanty dancing in the moonlight stuff is the point, philosophically/aesthetically.

Mike G wrote:I would tend to say that he lubed the snake oil with some science to make it actually effective, but the peasanty dancing in the moonlight stuff is the point, philosophically/aesthetically.

Yes, from his perspective, that was probably true. Silly me, I thought the goal was to grow better crops, not teach eurythmic movement to a bunch of farmhands.

d4v3 wrote:I have been reading a little about Doktor Steiner and Bio-Dynamic farming. Interestingly, Steiner concocted the concept of bio-dynamics rather late in his philosophical career, on a commission from an agro-industry group. I suspect he lubed the pseudoscience up with a lot of snake oil to make it seem more magical and therefore more appealing to a peasant population.

D4V3, being funded by any industry group renders conclusions suspect, but his approach to farming is so anti-agro-industry that I wonder what value they got for their investment.

I thought the goal was to grow better crops, not teach eurythmic movement to a bunch of farmhands.

In all seriousness, why are those mutually exclusive? Steiner's point, like William Morris's, Elbert Hubbard's, or various other folks in that day, was that industrialized processes were robotic (add Karel Capek to the list) and soul-destroying, and that peasants throughout history had invented ways of bringing meaning and sustaining pleasure to repetitive work, and craftsmanship to mundane tasks. Happier workers produce better products, no? (Which may well have been, in that often more idealistic age, right after the mechanized horrors of the Great War, why the agro-industry group was interested.)

Speaking of commissions, Waldorf gets its name from the factory for whose workers' kids Steiner created the first school-- a cigarette factory. Smokin' in the boys' room....

Mike G wrote:Happier workers produce better products, no? (Which may well have been, in that often more idealistic age, right after the mechanized horrors of the Great War, why the agro-industry group was interested.)

One of the guys I interviewed, Dave Thomas from H2Vino, has visited a lot of biodynamic farms, and he told me that the overriding emotion in those places was, as far as he could tell, happiness. Now, that sounds hippy-dippy and rouses suspicions, but if I had to choose between riding a big tractor on a corporate conveyor-belt farm or focusing intently on perfecting a small plot of land, using horses for power and chickens to take care of the insects, well, you know, I'd happily choose the latter.

David Hammond wrote:
One of the guys I interviewed, Dave Thomas from H2Vino

Hey, they import Mas ge Gourgonnier... What a coincidence
that you just had a bottle at dinner just this week

mhill95149 wrote:

David Hammond wrote:
One of the guys I interviewed, Dave Thomas from H2Vino

Hey, they import Mas ge Gourgonnier... What a coincidence
that you just had a bottle at dinner just this week

Here's another unbelievable fact: when I was writing the Tacos al Pastor piece for the Reader, I ate no less than two dozen tacos al pastor! Coincidence? I think not!!

One of the best local CSA's, Angelic Organics is run on biodynamic principles. Their discussion of those principles is here.

Since it is in large part mumbo-jumbo,e.g,

All the planets in our solar system are actively influencing plant and animal life as well, each with a particular gift or quality.

I'm a little uneasy buying into their world-view. It also makes me uncomfortable that so much of their success is built on volunteers (when my niece was at Beloit College, it was one of her "community service" options). However, like the Moonies and sushi it's hard to argue with the results.

Mike G wrote:In all seriousness, why are those mutually exclusive?

I was not implying that they are mutually exclusive, but I do question the cause and effect. Does having more spiritually fulfilled farmers actually produce better crops? If two farms employed precisely the same methods, using precisely the same materials, at precisely the same time, would it really make a difference in the final product if one farm-hand communes with the cosmos as he spreads the manure while another anticipates getting drunk after work? If ritualistic magic and meditative exercises can make manure spreaders more content with their lot in life, then it is a good thing, I guess. The masses can always use more opiates, but does manure actually work better when it is spread by a joyous manure spreader?

I do appreciate the the notion of a more manual and simpler method of farming, using fewer chemicals. That is the 1/3 common sense to which I was referring. The agro-conglomerates are all about producing the greatest number of large and visually appealing pieces of produce in the least amount of space, while incurring the lowest possible labor and spoilage expenses. Because they focus on productivity, physical marketabilty and longevity, the other aspects like flavor, texture and nutrition are lost. Certainly corporate greediness produces rather souless agricultural products; so in a way I suppose the sipritual and moral bankruptcy of the corporations is reflected in the produce itself. I just see that as a result of myopic business decisions and not as a failure to channel the energy of the cosmos into a turnip. Call me a skeptical cynic (or a cynical skeptic).