Biodynamics: Does It Make A Difference?

I have been a casual follower of biodynamics for a number of years, and after attending a seminar in May by the high priest of the order, Nicholas Joly, of Coulee de Serrant fame, and attending the subsequent tasting of 70 or so biodynamic producers from all over the world, my enthusiasm has been fired up.

As a retailer I quite often encounter customers who have obviously have an understanding of what 'organic' means in relation to wine, but very few who understand or even heard of biodynamics. In a nutshell, biodynamic viticulture is all about cultivating healthy vines and promoting their natural defences against disease, and converting vineyards into self supporting micro-ecosystems. As the vineyard becomes self contained, an expression of 'terroir' (a wine's sense of place and expression of the soil) should become more apparent in the wine. Natural remedies are employed and vines are worked according to the rhythms of moon and stars. At one time, when visiting Castello dei Rampolla in Tuscany, I witnessed the proprietor Luca di Napoli rolling little balls of manure combined with camomile which he was placing near the roots to start a microbial chain reaction. The attention to detail is astonishing.