Welcome to 2012 everybody. It’s been a while, but finally January’s over and payday has come too I suspect. So who’s ready for a top up? Ah, yes there are only so many days one can wear those goody two shoes, sip broth and have a quiet night in eh? But not wishing to undo all the hard work and abstinence, if we’re going to re-tox, it should be with something quality and substantially less toxic I reckon. Which leads me to the subject of my first blog for 2012… biodynamic wine. Seeing as I sell the stuff it’s probably about time I did some explaining. So here goes, and it’s a serious subject, so lets get serious for a mo…
Biodynamic wine is produced through agricultural and viticulture practices that aim to assist and enhance natural growth of vines and their fruit, as part of a natural system that was made perfect without human intervention.
These practices aim to produce a superior quality and unique taste of wine that bears the characteristics of the terrain or ‘terrior’ in which the fruit is grown.
Unlike modern agriculture and viticulture, biodynamics use only natural elements, processes and rhythms to assist nature to do what it is designed to do. You could liken modern practices to ‘chemotherapy’ when used to treat cancerous cells. Whilst the chemo kills the cancer cells, it also strips the body of its own natural defences, throwing its natural immune system into chaos and creating the need to replace it with artificial substitutes such as steroids – which in turn bring their own side effects.
Modern technology has distracted us from the fact that nature is its own perfectly balanced system that works well enough without human intervention – from the global macro-environment to the microcosm of the soil in which produce is grown. We are part of that system and if we use our intelligence to understand it, we can assist it.
But when we intervene by trying to control parts of the system that we perceive as a threat with manufactured herbicides, we throw the natural system out of sync, creating imbalance. Herbicides kill the natural flora in the soil that are there to balance out the microbiology naturally. They enable the plant life to draw essential nutrients from the soil. By introducing these artificial agents, we create a problem, which needs further intervention. As in any natural system, every action creates an equal reaction, which then demands redress.
Over time each modern agricultural practice has created increasingly artificially controlled environments. In his book, What is biodynamic wine?, Nicolas Joly, one of France’s leading biodynamic vignerons, speaks of four critical interventions that have slowly degraded our natural viticulture systems. The results are low grade, characterless and tasteless fruit that requires much engineering in the wine making, and again, artificial agents, that produce lower quality, bland tasting ‘cookie cutter’ wines. And this is of course aside from the residue of pesticides, herbicides and antifungal solutions that have permeated the roots, stems and fruit of the vines. All of this in the interests of low labour, cheap, mass production to satisfy the masses.
Not only is biodynamic wine devoid of all of the aforementioned nasties, it is made through practices that capitalise on the natural positive energy forces present in the earth and atmosphere which also translate to the fruit of the vines. The difference between biodynamic and mass produced wine is striking when visualised in photos taken of crystals formed of wine and other products grown biodynamically. The crystals formed by biodynamic and other natural products are beautifully formed, geometrically perfect formations – as are most natural things including the human body.
When compared to crystals formed by products created of modern technology or exposed to artificial energy sources, there’s no question which I, and no doubt you, would choose to consume. And if you’re intrigued by the effect of positive and negative energy on matter, a good read on this subject is The Hidden Messages in Water, by Masaru Emoto. It will change the way you drink!
Biodynamic wine is the product of matter and energy in perfect harmony – as it should be – helped along by people who are dedicated to their art and passionate about the product.
Choosing to drink biodynamic wine over the usual suspects is doing your physical and energetic self a huge favour. These wines are of a superior quality on all levels, they taste damn fine, and will give you less of a hangover to boot.
If this has inspired you to try out some biodynamic wine, why not come to our next wine tasting…. watch out for news of the next date.