Is Your Palate Able to Discern a Biodynamic Wine?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing on the virtues of organically produced wines, those that are simpatico with the natural order of agriculture, grown and produced in a symbiotic relationship with the multitude of environments that influence the aroma, taste and enjoyment of a glass of wine.
We’ve also explored the various phrases in today’s lexicon to describe the process by which wines are produced. The use of many of these words and phrases are not regulated, or government-defined, leaving many consumers in a quandary when confronted with “natural,” “organic,” “sustainable” or “biodynamic” on a label or in descriptive material.
Last week we took a deep dive into one of those descriptors, biodynamic, the ultimate expression of being one with nature. It has been espoused that this practice is one that will sustain the land, the winery workforce and protect mankind from the debilitating effects of big industry’s practices.
But through all this, we’ve yet to delve into the ultimate expression of these various organic practices: the finished product.
In my opinion, these naturally produced wines are more representative of the land on which the grapes are grown, are more representative of the surrounding elements that influence the final grapes harvested and bring out the purest expression of the land and the grapevines as nature intended.
How is biodynamic different from organic? It is a farming philosophy, not a farming practice. It incorporates elements of astronomy and benevolent co-existence with pests, all in an effort to sustain a mutually rewarding relationship with Mother Earth. For example, some practitioners will plant vines and harvest grapes by the phases of the moon in order to be in harmony with the earth’s natural cycles; others will bury a cow’s horn filled with cow manure in the vineyards on the autumnal equinox, believing that this will enrich the soil over the winter in preparation for spring growth. Still others will burn insects and weeds and spread the ashes in the vineyard to ward off other pests.
This may sound like a harkening back to the Dark Ages, when occult practices prevailed, but think of it as a renaissance or an enlightenment that rejects modern day chemistry and crop management practices focused on the bottom line.
A short history of vineyard management may help here. In Western Europe, grapes have been grown for thousands of years, well before the modern-day influences of the petrochemical industry. The introduction of chemicals into the vineyard was hailed as a miracle for grape vigor and consistency.
However, over the past century a noticeable change took place in the wines being produced. Multigenerational French family-owned wineries noticed a change in the flavors, aromas and the balance of fruit and acid in their wines. It seemed as if the wines were losing their natural characteristics. Thus, an organic movement began in the late 1970s.
By the mid-1990s, many of these French winemakers decided that organic products still fell short of creating the truest expression of their wines. So they decided to employ the biodynamic practices that had served their forefathers so well.
The result? In 1997, Domaine Leflaive, a famous winery in Burgundy, France, held a tasting. Two wines were blind-tasted and the tasters expressed a clear preference for one of them. Unbeknownst to the tasters, both wines sampled were from the same vineyard and same vintage, but from different plots in the vineyard; one had been farmed organically and the other biodynamically.
The tasters stated that one wine had much better balance and acidity and lacked the extraneous aromas and flavors of the other wine, a purer expression of the fruit. Which wine was the overwhelming favorite? The biodynamically-produced wine. The next year Domaine Leflaive became fully biodynamic. Numerous other winemakers have followed.
I encourage you to seek out these wines and to urge your local wine merchant to stock them. You can be the first to enjoy the ultimate green product. Spread the word.
Nick Antonaccio is a 45-year Pleasantville resident. For over 25 years, he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. Nick is a member and program director of the Wine Media Guild of wine journalists. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
