THURSTQUEEN SPILLS THE NETTLE-INFUSED TEA ON BIODYNAMIC WINE AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT -- NOT WOO WOO BS
If you’ve been out buying wine in the wild you’ve probably heard someone throw the term “biodynamic” around when describing a bottle of wine.
But what does it all mean? And is it really that important for a wine to be biodynamic? The answer is up to you. I think understanding what the term “biodynamic wine” means is very important as a wine-savvy consumer.
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed from working in wine for several years, it’s that certain terms get thrown around and used incorrectly. Or worse, the terms become bastardized and people just use them because they think it’s cool for a wine to be “biodynamic” or “natural,” yet, in reality, they have no idea what the hell kind of wine they’re drinking or what they’re even talking about for that matter.
As Thurstqueens, I don’t want you to be these people. So we’re going to take a quick second to chat all about Biodynamic Wine, the viticultural practices associated with biodynamics, and discuss the pros and cons of this often dicey, hotly contested subject.
WTF DOES BIODYNAMIC EVEN MEAN?
Biodynamic viticulture is a form of organic farming based on the ideas of the Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner.
Nearly 100 years ago, our boi Rudy got invited to a farm in what would today be a portion of Poland because a group of farmers had concerns about the negative impact of nitrogen-based fertilizer on the soil quality.
Rudolph came up with a set of farming practices that involved a combination of science, spirituality, and philosophy which would later be called Biodynamics.
Biodynamic farming views the farm as a single, enclosed ecosystem, where all the individual parts contribute. In order for this to happen, biodynamic farmers forbid the use of chemicals of any kind. They refuse to use pesticides and often have sheep and cows on the property to fertilize the soil.
Vintners who practice Biodynamic Viticulture will often have really creative ways to control pests in the vineyard. Some of them will spray teas made out of herbs like nettle to help if vines don’t have enough iron content or lack nutrients.
THE SPIRITUAL STUFF: INTRODUCING THE BIODYNAMIC CALENDAR
Girls after drinking biodynamic wine, sacrificing a goat, smoking several blunts, and dancing in a circle on a flower day.
This is where shit gets a little woo-woo.
Biodynamic farming relies heavily on the lunar calendar, and according to the principle, the cycle of the moon has both a positive and negative effect on the flavors and aromatic qualities of a wine.
There are four different days according to the Biodynamic Wine Calendar and they are:
Flower Days
Leaf Days
Fruit Days
Root Days
Supposedly, Flower Days are when the moon is in any air sign - Gemini, Libra or Aquarius. These are considered the best days for tasting floral and aromatic wines.
Fruit Days are when the moon is in any of the fire signs like Aries, Leo or Sagittarius. They are said to be the best days for tasting fruitier, fuller-bodied wines.
The worst days to taste wine are Leaf Days and Root Days (sorry earth and water signs) Leaf Days are when the moon is in water signs like Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. These wines supposedly taste earthier and more mineral driven.
Root Days are also considered the worst, as they are when the moon is in the earth sign of Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo.
HOW DO I KNOW IF A WINE IS BIODYNAMIC OR NOT?
If you’re looking for Certified Biodynamic wines, it’s easy to spot them. Just look for the Demeter Certified Biodynamic label most winemakers will usually put on the back of the bottle. Some wineries are practicing Biodynamic, but will not pay the hefty sum for their Demeter Certification.
If you’re at a store and meet a knowledgable staff employee, you can ask if a wine is “practicing biodynamic,” and hopefully the person will let you know.
WHAT ARE THE PROS OF BIODYNAMIC FARMING?
A lot of the pros behind Biodynamic farming are environmentally based. It’s a hell of a lot better to not spray chemicals on your vines, as some of those chemicals are pretty deadly.
I’ve heard stories of conventionally-farmed vineyards tended to by families who end up developing different types of Cancer from the pesticides that are sprayed on the vines. With Biodynamic Farming, that’s less of a risk.
The vines are also a lot healthier in part because of the Organic and Biodynamic farming practices implemented amongst the vines, yielding healthier grapes and better quality wines.
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF BIODYNAMIC FARMING?
Biodynamic farming is extremely cost and labor-intensive. It’s a hell of a lot easier to just throw chemicals at something and hope that the problem goes away - which is what a lot of mega wineries do.
Not only that, but some people kind of abuse the concept of Biodynamic farming. There are a lot of winemakers who debate what exactly constitutes “biodynamic farming,” and some producers claim to be “biodynamic,” yet have trucks ship them sulfur from another portion of the world to spray on their organically-farmed vines. Just exactly how environmentally responsible is that?
Think about the carbon footprint that goes behind getting that sulfur to the winery. If the sulfur has to get shipped on a plane across the country - is it really that environmentally responsible?
So there’s the rub.
CAN I TASTE THE DIFFERENCE IF A WINE IS MADE FROM BIODYNAMICALLY-FARMED FRUIT?
Typically, Biodynamically-farmed fruit often tastes better. Just like locally grown produce at farmer’s markets tends to taste better. But there are a lot of factors involved in winemaking.
Maybe the winemaker has biodynamically farmed their fruit but decided to use sulfur or enzymes to kick off fermentation and innoculate with commercially store-bought yeasts. All of these choices are going to affect the way a wine tastes, whether the fruit is biodynamically farmed or not.
So please don’t be that person who tastes a wine and is like “Mmmm I can taste the biodynamically farmed grapes,” people will probably just look at you funny or laugh.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue, Biodynamic Farming along with use of Sulfur is one of those hotly-contested issues within the wine world that everybody seems to have an opinion on.
As far as my thoughts? I think it’s important to know the terminology, so you understand exactly what a person means when they say a wine is “Biodynamic,” as usually, Biodynamic Wines will fetch higher pricetags because of the labor and effort involved in maintaining a Biodynamic vineyard.