Biodynamic wines can be a potentially very controversial topic, depending on your personal beliefs, as it is often debated how much of the biodynamic process is on a spiritual and astronomical level. Organic farming methods are used to make biodynamic wines in a number of different countries, such as, France, Germany, Australia and the USA.
For a wine to be labelled as “biodynamic” it has to meet certain standards, to be certified the wine must have no synthetic chemicals applied to the vines and no acid, sugar or enzymes can be added during wine production. Biodynamic wines began in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner who played a significant role in starting the concept, by giving agricultural lectures in 1924.
The production of biodynamic wines revolves around the biodynamic calendar which helps the process run smoothly. The biodynamic calendar is divided into four categories, flower, fruit, leaf and root. These categories are formed according to the alignment of the planets, moon and stars on the Earth’s natural systems.
It’s not used in all biodynamic vineyards but the more spiritual use special compost preparations. The compost is then stuffed into cow horns and buried in the soil, they’re later dug up and the special compost is spread around the vineyard, this makes the process more expensive and labour intensive. The cow horn is used as it represents abundance and it is the spiritual influence over the growth in the vineyards. Whilst some believe that biodynamic wines are stronger, clearer and have more vibrant tastes, experts aren’t sure how the cow horns can influence the taste of the wine.
Biodynamic wines are becoming more popular as they use a more sustainable method of production, this is particularly important as there is an increasing demand on the global wine market and competition is ever expanding. Using biodynamic wines can massively improve the conditions in vineyards, more specifically the biodiversity, soil fertility and crop nutrition and as of 2016 over 60 countries used biodynamic techniques covering over 160,000 hectares.
At Grape Escapes we work with a wide range of biodynamic and organic wine producers and would be pleased to arrange a sustainable wine holiday for you. Our friendly sales team would love to hear from you, contact them on +44 (0) 1920 46 86 66 or email info@grapeescapes.net
