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Biodynamic Wines
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Short Description: Consumers are coming to expect that biodynamic wines have not. been manipulated. These wines are authentic. They express the vineyard sites they came ...
Content Inside: Biodynamic Wines They're real, they're here, and they're not a fad. Here's why you should be drinking them. Until recently, the word biodynamics was probably not on the tip of our tongues. Nor were many of us eager to have this vaguely sci-fi-sounding farming practice applied to our favorite Cabernet. These days, thanks to a proliferation of farmers' markets, we consumers are pretty well-versed in organic and sustainable produce, but biodynamics? When you hear about the more outrageous practices of biodynamics -- buried cow horns filled with dung and ground crystals, harvesting by lunar and planetary cycles -- you might think this farming method is (how do we put this?) a bit of bull. "What has held people back or confused them about biodynamics is that only the most sensational things have been talked about," says Mike Benziger of Benziger Family Winery. "They're fun to talk about, but when you see these things in the context of a larger system, you understand why we use them." Benziger is one of an increasing number of modern champions of biodynamic winemaking, based on a farming practice developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Today, there are some 30 certified biodynamic wineries in the U.S., about 200 more worldwide, and countless others employing various aspects of biodynamic principles. Think of it as organic farming taken one step further. In addition to banning the use of pesticides and artificial additives, biodynamics works to create a self-contained, sustainable farming system in which everything on the property, including water and organic materials, is recycled and reused to regenerate the land. Chemicals are verboten because they deplete the soil, which is considered a living organism. And these practices aren't limited to wine. These days, everything from milk and cheese to produce, spices, cosmetics, and olive oil is produced using biodynamics. Intuitively we sense these wines must be better -- if not better for us, better for the land -- but are they? And why? "Each year that you practice biodynamic farming, you increase the biodiversity of the land and the health of the plants. You can grow better vegetables, olives, and grapes -- if your definition of better is based on authenticity," Benziger says. The goal, he says, of a biodynamic winemaker is not to make a perfect wine, but to express the authenticity of the vineyard, or what the French call terroir. He adds, "Sometimes that means a bit of a chipped tooth, but if done the right way, those are things that hold people's interest, like the Mona Lisa. Her imperfections, her individuality, hold your attention." Of course, few would argue that only a mother could love the wines from famed Burgundy producer Domaine Leflaive. A pioneer in French biodynamics, Anne-Claude Document Outlineţ˙
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