Organic and Biodynamic Wines

First published in the print edition of Good Wine Magazine, 2013.

Organic and biodynamic wines have increasingly gained popularity and acceptance over the past few years as producers and consumers became more environmentally conscious. Sometimes we might think that these labels are merely used to indicate a market niche, but are we really aware of the philosophy behind the methods used to make these wines? And methods they certainly are – and for some winemakers, perhaps, even a way of life.

So what is it all about? The underlying idea in the production of organic and biodynamic wines is to make wines in the most natural way, without any artificial intervention. Both of these viticultural techniques adopt a sustainable approach to winemaking. The basic principle behind organics is that no chemical additives should be used in making wine. Biodynamics extends this principle in that wine should be made in complete equilibrium with its environment and, as such, can be seen as an extreme form of organic winemaking.

In organic winemaking, the point of departure is the vineyard: the rules of organic viticulture prescribe that grapes should be grown without using fertilizers, fungicides, or pesticides. After the grapes are harvested and brought in for vinification, the organic practices continue in the cellar. Again, any chemical interventions are completely forbidden during the fermentation and maturation. In particular, the winemaker should avoid or at least minimize the use of sulfur dioxide, which is commonly used to stabilize the wine. It is believed that the wines made this way truly express the terroir. They also bear no risk of having any chemical residues, which results in cleaner and more natural wines. Even though dozens of French producers have been making organic wines for decades, the EU law only allowed using the term “organic wine” from the 2012 harvest on. Previously, such wines were known as ones made from “organically grown grapes”. Other parts of the world, such as the US, Australia or Chile, have essentially introduced organic wine regulations during the last decade. Today, an estimated 2000 organic winemakers worldwide are responsible for less than 2% of the world’s vineyards.

Biodynamics builds further on the techniques of organic winemaking, extending it with an almost spiritual philosophy that the wines should be in balance with their environment. The ideas underlying biodynamic viticulture are based on the work of the Austrian social philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). Here, the winemaker ought to follow a holistic approach to all plants, animals and soils in the vineyard, whereby he respects the cosmic relationship between the earth, the sun, the moon, and the other planets in the universe. The aim of biodynamic winemaking is to produce wines that are in harmony with the nature.

Although this approach may sound rather vague at first, biodynamic winemakers are convinced that their practices are necessary for sustainable viticulture. In particular, biodynamic farmers believe in the importance of cosmic cycles and follow lunar phases in their vineyard work. Planting, feeding, pruning and harvesting are all only undertaken at the most favorable times in the astronomical calendar. In treating the vineyard, they also use homeopathic solutions, called ‘preparations’, instead of chemical sprays. For example, one of such preparations, ‘horn manure’, is used as a fertilizer. It is made by stuffing cow manure into a cow horn and burying it in the vineyard for the winter, over which time it is vitalized and energized. In the following spring, the horn manure is dug up, thinly diluted with water and sprayed over the vineyard. This treatment is believed to stimulate microbial life.

Winemakers seeking recognition of their wines as biodynamic ones have to apply for a biodynamic certification with Demeter, an international non-profit organization dedicated to marketing and promoting biodynamic practices worldwide. Such certification is the only available recognition, as no country yet has a legal framework for this quite complex set of rules. At present, less than 1% of the world’s vineyards are farmed biodynamically. Most biodynamic producers (over 200) are in France, followed by Italy (about 80 producers) and the US (about 70 producers). The best-known French biodynamic winemakers include Nicolas Joly of Clos de la Coulée de Serrant in the Loire Valley, Chapoutier in the Rhône Valley and the famous Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy.

Despite the fact that organic and biodynamic wines only make up a very small percentage of the world’s total wine volume, they happen to be some of the world’s greatest wines. Does it then mean that they are by definition better than other wines? The answer is: No. Their high quality is likely to be not a direct result of organic or biodynamic practices, but rather a consequence of the additional time and attention paid by the winemakers. It is certainly true that biodynamic winemakers are passionate professionals, devoted to their work and treating their wines with love and care. That, however, does not mean that this is the only right way of making wine. Conventional winemakers with the same motivation and dedication can make wines of equal quality. The key to a good wine, whether or not biodynamic, is the winemaker with a passion for his métier. This might as well be the most important lesson that organic and biodynamic winemakers can teach us.