Do you know what a biodynamic wine is? Have you ever tasted it?
Nowadays there is a particular attention to organic, biodynamic and natural wines. In the last few years, some new fairs have been born for these particular type of wines in mind. For example, do you remember of Io Bevo Così Milano? I recently took part in the official event, Io Bevo Così. You can watch the video about my experience on my YouTube channel.
Back to biodynamic wines, the relationship with the organic is very tight. They’re similar but not identical.
Before to understanding what a biodynamic wine is, it’s important to understand how biodynamic agriculture operates.
Are you ready? Let’s start!
Biodynamic Agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture was born around 1920. Some farmers didn’t want to use the new chemical products in their plantations. They thought that those products worsened the quality of their harvests.
The basic concept of biodynamic agriculture is to maintain the right balance in nature. It’s a combination of the astrological influences and the correct methods to work the soil. Maria Thun worked for many years in order to discover how the planets influence the growth of the plants. Her lunar calendar is used considerably in agriculture.
But the father of the biodynamic agriculture was Rudolf Steiner. He introduced a few methods to work biodynamically with the crops.
Another thing about biodynamic farming is that in this type of agriculture, the soil is tilled with horses instead of machinery. The use of any kind of mechanical devices is very limited.
Green manure is used for sowing. It’s allowed to use natural fertilizers and compost for the soil. Another important thing is the introduction of good insects to fight the bad ones.
Biodynamics is essentially the holistic view of agriculture.
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner was born on 27th of February 1861 in Kraljević. At that time, Kraljević was part of Austria, nowadays it’s in Croatia.
He dedicated all his life to studying a variety of subjects. Rudolf was an important person in the philosophy, sociology, economy and musicology fields. He was also the founder of the Anthroposophy.
At the end of his life, he dedicated himself to biodynamic agriculture.
The three principals of biodynamic agriculture are:
- keep the terrain fertile, releasing nutritious substances;
- ensure that the plants are healthy, so they can resist illnesses and parasites;
- produce foods of the highest quality.
Demeter
Unfortunately, there is not yet a policy document for biodynamic wine. But there is a private association that supervises the procedures for biodynamic agriculture. Its name is Demeter.
It was founded in 1927 when a group of farmers wanted to protect their products from forgeries. They cultivated following the principles of biodynamic agriculture.
The name was chosen for Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest and agriculture.
Biodynamic Wine
Now you know what biodynamic agriculture is. We can take a look at how it is applied to produce the wine.
The fermentation is obtained by natural yeasts. The sulfites are limited. Wine clarification is allowed only with egg white certified by Demeter or bentonite without arsenic and dioxin.
Demeter forbids the thermovinification, the pasteurization and the increase of alcoholic degree.
Are biodynamic wines better than other wines?
Sometimes!
If you find a great biodynamic wine, you’ve found an excellent product! Because as you’ve seen, it’s more difficult to produce a biodynamic wine.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of this type of wines.
What’s your opinion about biodynamic wines? Let me know with a comment.
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Cheers
Simone
