Biodynamic Wine: More than Organic

My earlier CR4 blogs discussed non-chemical-based lawn-care practices, so you won't be surprised to see another entry along the general line of organic horticultural practices. While traveling around Provence last summer I saw quite a few vineyards labeled "biologique," "biodynamique" or simply just "bio." I assumed these terms were the French equivalent of "organic," but I did wonder if I'd misunderstood "biodynamique," a term I'd never encountered.

After I returned home, I did the logical thing and searched the Internet for "biodynamic." And I discovered that not only was my guess wrong, biodynamic agriculture predates our contemporary understanding of organic agriculture. The practice of biodynamics is precise, complicated, and controversial.

Organic vs biodynamic agriculture

First, a caveat. The legal definitions for "certified organic" products vary from country to country. No national government certifies a "biodynamic" designation; Demeter International, a network of national biodynamic certifiers, does so. "Sustainable" has no legal meaning, so I'll say no more about it here.

Organic and biodynamic agriculture share a number of practices: avoidance of synthetic chemicals for fertilization and pest control, no genetically-modified (GMO) seed, and use of techniques that preserve the integrity of the soil content and structure. For biodynamic practitioners, though, this is not an agricultural system but a philosophy of agriculture first espoused by anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner - the same Steiner who developed the Waldorf approach to education. His eight lectures, Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, are the bible of biodynamic farming. Like organic farmers, their biodynamic counterparts treat their farms as living systems.

Unlike organic farmers, though, biodynamicists maintain their living systems following the minutely specific regimen Steiner prescribes. Only manual plowing is allowed. An affinities calendar, based on lunar cycles and the Zodiac, dictates when different farming activities take place (see link at end of post). Fields and crops receive preparations that increase soil nutrients and improve soil structure, among other effects. The procedures for making these preparations sound bizarre. For example, to make horn manure, the farmer stuffs cow horns with fresh cow manure, buries the horns in the fall, unearths them in the spring, and distributes the stuff over fields in the spring. This brief paragraph doesn't begin to scratch the surface of the biodynamic soil. This avowedly non-scientific approach to agronomy attracts much criticism, even though many of the practices are similar to those used in organic farming.

Is biodynamic better than organic?

Given the similarities between these two farming methods, why opt for the more labor-intensive biodynamic approach? Is it less expensive? Is it better for the soil? Does biodynamically-grown food taste better?

The small body of peer-reviewed research focuses on soil quality and crop yields. J.P. Reganold of Washington State University's Dept. of Crop and Soil Science, conducted a handful of studies between 1993-2002 comparing the effects of organic and biodynamic methods on soil biological communities. The results consistently indicated that both biodynamic and organic methods result in higher-quality soils, with better structure and organic matter, but neither was superior to the other. Results from a 21-year-long Swiss study led by Paul Mader confirmed that both biodynamic and organic methods greatly improve soils. Crop yields were 21% lower than conventional farming, but the researchers concluded that the ecological benefits outweighed the lower yields.

These studies didn't address subjective or qualitative questions such as the flavor of crops grown organically/biodynamically. A small but growing number of winemakers have embraced biodynamic methods, and they believe that wines produced from biodynamic grapes absorb the characteristics of the terroir - the qualities imparted by the place the vines grow - much better than non-biodynamic grapes. According to the Wine Folly website: no. According to Australian research published earlier this year: yes.

In the 2010-2014 wines, ORG [organic] and in particular BD [biodynamic] wines, were consistently described as being more rich, textural, complex and vibrant than LCON [low-input conventional] and HCON [high-input conventional] wines. These findings support anecdotal evidence from winemakers who have used this language as a reason why they have chosen to make wine from organically and/or biodynamically managed fruit.

A plus for wine made from biodynamic grapes is the lack of added sulfites. This plus can be a minus if vintners want to ship wines, since sulfites are preservatives.

The future for biodynamic agriculture

Interest in biodynamic agriculture is increasing. Demeter International reports that in June of 2015 close to 5,000 farms worldwide have earned its certification, doubling the number reported in 1997. Wine grape growers and vintners were among early adopters of biodynamic practices; vineyards are particularly well-suited to the Steiner regimen. For now I'll leave as an exercise for my readers the decision about whether biodynamic wine, or indeed any certified biodynamic agricultural product, has superior qualities. I need another trip to France to make my own first-hand determination.

Image credits

Demeter USA

Livesprings Farm

Caveau de la Tour

References

https://www.sciencemag.org/content/296/5573/1694?related-urls=yes&legid=sci;296/5573/1694

http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/50600000/Products-Reprints/2000/914.pdf

http://www.bio-dynamie.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/04_John-P.-Reganold-Soil-Quality-Profitability-of-BD-and-conventional-farming-systems.pdf

http://foodfromthesky.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/biodynamic_affinities-scaled-500.jpg?w=640

http://www.demeter.net/statistics

http://foodfromthesky.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/biodynamic_affinities-scaled-500.jpg?w=640

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture#Biodynamic_preparations

https://cowhornwine.com/

https://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/TasteReport.pdf

http://wineoscope.com/2015/05/14/empirical-evidence-organicbiodynamic-vit-more-textured-wines/