http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2012/11/ ... iodynamics
Some of the Côte d'Or's most illustrious producers are going down the biodynamic route. Are they eccentric or far-sighted?
By AFP with Wine-Searcher staff | Posted Thursday, 22-Nov-2012
At sunset, a Burgundy winegrower is spraying his vines. The moon is in the descendant and according to the biodynamic calendar, that's the ideal time to apply the spray. Biodynamic farming is a practice tinged with esotericism, yet some of the region’s most prestigious wine estates have picked up on the trend.
The spray that Didier Montchavet is using on his small patch of vines located between Pommard and Beaune is made from water and cow manure fermented in a cow horn and buried under the soil over winter.
Known as 500, this is one of the most important preparations used by followers of biodynamic agriculture. Other additions include silica mixed with rainwater – also packed in a cow horn and buried in the soil – which is called by its function title, 501. And it's not just cows’ horns that are used to mature many of the preparations; other body parts from animals, including skulls and stags’ bladders, are an integral part of the process.
Herbal teas – including 504, made from stinging nettles, and 508, produced from the common horsetail plant – are used to "dynamize" a vineyard’s compost. These preparations were first developed in the 1920s by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, and although they might seem a bit loopy to many observers, they have been embraced by winegrowers in France and Italy, and as far away as Chile and New Zealand
Steiner adherents also carry out their work according to the position of the stars and the constellations of the zodiac. “There are some very esoteric things in Steiner’s writings, like how to see the influence of Mars in a plant, which is something that I can’t do,” admits Montchovet.
Some biodynamic winemakers follow a calendar created by another pioneer of the movement, Maria Thun, who died earlier this year at the age of 89. She turned Steiner’s ideas on sowing, pruning and harvesting by lunar and cosmic rhythms into reality, producing an annual calendar for biodynamic farmers after years of research on her farm in Germany.
Hardcore enthusiasts religiously follow Thun's charts, although most grape growers have to take a more practical approach, realizing that they can't always harvest on the days recommended by the calendar.
Nevertheless, the movement has gained momentum, with many high-profile winemakers adopting the philosophy since Thun published her first calendar in 1962. They include the Loire’s Nicolas Joly; Michel Chapoutier's 250 hectares across the Rhône Valley; and Chile’s Alvaro Espinoza, who believes that biodynamic farming is crucial in terms of revealing the true expression of terroir.
© AFP/Frank Perry | Nicolas Joly and daughter Virginie pictured with a bottle of their biodynamic Savennières-Coulée de Serrant
The quest for the ultimate terroir wine reaches its apogee in Burgundy, where some of the region's most illustrious names have turned to biodynamics, including Domaines Leflaive, des Comtes Lafon, Leroy, de la Romanée-Conti and de la Vougeraie.
But even those who have adopted the philosophy acknowledge that it can be difficult to embrace.
“It’s just like homeopathy or osteopathy; you either believe or you don’t,” says Pierre Vincent, of Domaine de la Vougeraie.
Standing in a garden of lavender, sage and citronella being grown for the biodynamic teas, he adds: “When we thought about it, we had to adopt it, especially when you see the course taken by modern agriculture, which is increasingly reliant on the chemical industry."
Nearby, Albert Bichot is considering switching to biodynamics, but the company’s viticultural manager, Christophe Chauvel, says there is a mental obstacle to be overcome: “We were trained in science, in Cartesian logic. Biodynamics doesn’t fit with what is taught in schools.”
Indeed, the concept leaves many in the industry skeptical. Luc Charlier, a doctor-turned-winegrower in the Roussillon, regards Steiner’s theories as a “load of baloney.”
Those who aren’t convinced, argue that biodynamically grown vines tend to be in good health because growers have to devote so much time and attention to them – not because of Steiner’s preparations.
In his book "Wine Science," Dr. Jamie Goode adopts a balanced approach.
“From a scientific perspective, some elements associated with biodynamics, such as the use of specially prepared composts, are much more likely to have benefit than others," he writes. "Composting could increase microbial diversity, and some of the foliar sprays could have a scientifically explicable effect.”
However, Goode adds: “There’s likely also a large placebo element; as wine-growers adopt biodynamics, they are entering into a philosophical system that acts as a framework to help them maintain a careful approach in the vineyard."
© AFP | A winemaker prepares a biodynamic spray for his vines in Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu, Burgundy
Some critics claim that biodynamic wine growers have their eyes on the sales potential, believing that the approach will appeal to consumers keen on viticultural practices that respect the environment. But it seems a lot of hard work for a bit of green media coverage.
Indeed, most estates don’t mention “biodynamic agriculture” on their bottles. “We don’t want it to become a commercial argument, it’s an argument about quality,” says Vincent.
“It’s not something they promote,” adds Joëlle Brouard, professor of marketing and director of the Wine Management Institute at the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon. “First, because there isn’t enough [wine] for sale, but also because they want to be judged on their results rather than the methods used."
In Brouard's view, “Fundamentally, this isn’t about commerce but about personal conviction, especially as they have to convince their employees to work this way."
She stresses that these winemakers “are not cranks," adding: "It’s a philosophy, a vision of what man and wine’s relationships with nature should be."
Whether the philosophy has any real science to back it up is another question – and one that so far remains unanswered.