Is it a trend, a type of uniqueness or an extreme form of cultivation? First and foremost, Biodynamic farming is a philosophy concerning world perception and its constitution, i.e. matter, nature, universe. Thus, the vine interacts practically and spiritually with all universe and earth elements, affecting its growth and evolvement.

 

Biodynamic farming is based on the principle that the vine is in constant contact with the universe. It is based on land, water, air, fire and all these forces are reflected to the vine plant. The roots, leaves and flowers are forces that on one hand push the plant to the ground and on the other hand pull the plant to the sun. According to the theory of biodynamic farming astrology and the zodiac play a very important role at every stage of vine life and its evolution.

 

This means that during the period when the sun passes through the zodiac signs of fire, air and earth, the fruit development (i.e. root and shoot) is favored. Furthermore, the bottling is done only with full moon and the placement and orientation of the bottles during storage follow planets orientation. Therefore we understand that each process and work in the vineyard is determined by the position of the sun, the moon and planets, making a very strict work schedule.

 

It is a free expression of the vine and the evolution of plants, without human intervention, without chemicals and according to the planets and cosmic energy. The certification for this type of wines is conducted by the authorized organization “Demeter”, with strict and severe controls regarding the application of the specific cultivation, both theoretically and practically.

 

It is not only about the cultivation of biodynamic wines but also the wine tasting that shall be done according to the lunar calendar. Thus, there are good and bad days to enjoy your wine. The idea around the ''appropriate'' days to taste our wine was inspired by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher who introduced biodynamic farming in the 20th century. They are distinguished to Root days, Flower days, Fruit days and Leaf days. The Flower and Fruit days are suitable for the enjoyment of our wine while the rest are not recommended for wine tasting, but only for other wine-growing processes in soil or vine. What do you think, are there specific days to enjoy our wine?

 

The biodynamic wine is gaining friends in Europe and all over the world and it is definite that will concern us much more in the near future. The biodynamic calendar and processes must be based on the following practice: http://www.rhythmofnature.net/biodynamic-calendar

 

Vasilis Mastrogiannakis
Greece and Grapes
Wine Communications