BIODYNAMICS:
WINEMAKING FOR THE FUTURE
TOWARD A RENAISSANCE OF TERROIR WINES
"Allons ensemble vers une renaissance des appellations"
TOWARD A RENAISSANCE OF TERROIR WINES
"Allons ensemble vers une renaissance des appellations"
The concept of appellation
emerged in France during the 1920's. This stroke of genius came from the
understanding that the taste of wine can only be original and inimitable
if it is the full expression of a specific terroir. The ensuing AOC system
was meant as a guarantee that consumers would find the unique characteristics
of a specific site in the wine they drink.
Unfortunately, eighty years later not much remains of the original concept. Let's try to understand what happened in the hope that more people will become aware of the situation and help restore the original meaning of appellation.
Beginning in the 1950's, the development of the synthetic chemicals industry has led to the canvassing of farms and vineyards by salesmen and agricultural advisers who heavily recommend the use of synthetic herbicides. It has not been difficult to convince farmers and winegrowers that the use of these products would save them an enormous amount of time and effort by eliminating the necessity for them to till their land. But the industry neglected to tell the growers that its "magical" products would also totally annihilate the microbes and bacteria in the soil.
Since vine roots cannot feed themselves without these microorganisms, growth started to decrease in the vineyards within a few years. The trap was carefully prepared: Massive doses of chemical fertilizers had to substitute for deficient natural growth. (These chemical fertilizers consist of salts which force the vine to drink more water to compensate for the salinity imposed on it. Every housewife who has seen large vegetables shrink during cooking, giving up the excess water they were made to absorb, will know what I mean. This is the same type of growth that is recommended for the vine!).
With the destruction of its soil and the onslaught of fertilisers, the vine becomes more vulnerable to disease and the the taste of its grapes is altered. The industry's response to disease is the invention of "systemic" chemicals that pass directly into the sap of the vine and interfere with the internal organism of the plant instead of remaining on the surface of grape leaves. This very effective response generates new diseases since the imbalance that causes the disease remains. It also increases the quantity of chemical residues in wine.
To compensate for the lost terroir characteristics in the grapes, an incredible technology has been invented, which transforms cellars into factories. Over 300 aromatic yeasts are available to winemakers, from raspberry to banana to blackcurrant. Enzymes have also been created to forcefully extract colour from the grapes and add fat to the wine as a substitute for abundant sunshine. Although these additives are legal, they completely betray the true flavours of the terroir created by soil and climate. Does anyone care?
The consultants who make a living from this dysfunctional situation have become the apostles of wine-making progress to the detriment of authenticity in the true expression of wine sites. In this context, it has become risky to express a different point of view about viticultural practices or to speak up against methods that are opposed to the laws of life on Earth. Those reckless enough to have tried can testify to this sad reality.
But nature can fight back when one refuses to listen to her. Thus it appears that manipulated wine does not age well. Time distinguishes between the good and the false, as one of France's foremost wine journalists recently wrote: "What will gullible wine buyers think of bottles for which they've paid 500 francs -- as an investment or for long cellaring - when they realize they have been cheated? The artificial body and the heavy extraction do not stand up to the test of time." Educated consumers and producers are finding out that the taste of wine, its harmony, its beauty, its elegance stem from a qualitative world whose origins are intangible. These qualities cannot be slapped onto wine as one replaces a layer of paint. Quality comes from an organized and intangible whole which extends to the grapes only when certain laws that generate life on Earth are respected. Alas, modern man has become incapable of understanding these macrocosmic laws for he is only interested in what he sees through his microscope or on the screen of his computer.
In reality, the time has come to realize that vines, like any other plant, only transform non-matter into matter. That's what photosynthesis is all about: converting air, heat and light into wood, leaves, grapes and also into taste, color, and aroma. Photosynthesis transforms energy into matter and life. All living things are made up of frequencies that harmonize with each other, just like the weightless musical notes in a piece of music.
Like each individual fruit, all life is generated by our vast solar system. Unfortunately humanity gets further and further away from comprehending this macrocosmic organization day after day, mostly for short term economic reasons.
The true winegrower is the one who devotes himself to understanding life. He is mindful that his efforts must not disturb our vast life system. Organic farming is all about allowing nature to "work." Biodynamics goes even further. It takes advantage of the knowledge of the planet's live energy system to help vines and plants nourish themselves more thoroughly. It serves as a catalyst by acting on photosynthesis and on soil life. Since energy is not measured in grams - as everybody knows who uses a mobile phone - results can be achieved with infinitesimal dosages per acre of certain preparations (a few grams or a few hundred grams). This approach is naturally quite upsetting to our materialist farming advisers who refuse to understand that life cannot be reduced to quantitative measurements since it is made up of frequencies. These same advisers also take issue with the fact that biodynamics is putting an end to their profitable market in order to restore a knowledge to the farmer that should never have been lost.
More and more talented winegrowers are converting to biodynamics because of its results. They also do so because more and more consumers are beginning to realize that modern technological wines taste the same anywhere on the planet and, depending on where the wine comes from, the same taste can be found for a fraction of the usual price. For once, the laws of economics go in the direction of truth.
France is one of the countries in the world with the greatest number of excellent microclimates and wine sites. There and around the world, it is urgent to restore true knowledge and to bring terroir back to life so that winegrowers and consumers can rediscover the pleasure of finding in wine the authenticity of site and real winemaking. Together, let's work for the "renaissance of appellation."
Unfortunately, eighty years later not much remains of the original concept. Let's try to understand what happened in the hope that more people will become aware of the situation and help restore the original meaning of appellation.
Beginning in the 1950's, the development of the synthetic chemicals industry has led to the canvassing of farms and vineyards by salesmen and agricultural advisers who heavily recommend the use of synthetic herbicides. It has not been difficult to convince farmers and winegrowers that the use of these products would save them an enormous amount of time and effort by eliminating the necessity for them to till their land. But the industry neglected to tell the growers that its "magical" products would also totally annihilate the microbes and bacteria in the soil.
Since vine roots cannot feed themselves without these microorganisms, growth started to decrease in the vineyards within a few years. The trap was carefully prepared: Massive doses of chemical fertilizers had to substitute for deficient natural growth. (These chemical fertilizers consist of salts which force the vine to drink more water to compensate for the salinity imposed on it. Every housewife who has seen large vegetables shrink during cooking, giving up the excess water they were made to absorb, will know what I mean. This is the same type of growth that is recommended for the vine!).
With the destruction of its soil and the onslaught of fertilisers, the vine becomes more vulnerable to disease and the the taste of its grapes is altered. The industry's response to disease is the invention of "systemic" chemicals that pass directly into the sap of the vine and interfere with the internal organism of the plant instead of remaining on the surface of grape leaves. This very effective response generates new diseases since the imbalance that causes the disease remains. It also increases the quantity of chemical residues in wine.
To compensate for the lost terroir characteristics in the grapes, an incredible technology has been invented, which transforms cellars into factories. Over 300 aromatic yeasts are available to winemakers, from raspberry to banana to blackcurrant. Enzymes have also been created to forcefully extract colour from the grapes and add fat to the wine as a substitute for abundant sunshine. Although these additives are legal, they completely betray the true flavours of the terroir created by soil and climate. Does anyone care?
The consultants who make a living from this dysfunctional situation have become the apostles of wine-making progress to the detriment of authenticity in the true expression of wine sites. In this context, it has become risky to express a different point of view about viticultural practices or to speak up against methods that are opposed to the laws of life on Earth. Those reckless enough to have tried can testify to this sad reality.
But nature can fight back when one refuses to listen to her. Thus it appears that manipulated wine does not age well. Time distinguishes between the good and the false, as one of France's foremost wine journalists recently wrote: "What will gullible wine buyers think of bottles for which they've paid 500 francs -- as an investment or for long cellaring - when they realize they have been cheated? The artificial body and the heavy extraction do not stand up to the test of time." Educated consumers and producers are finding out that the taste of wine, its harmony, its beauty, its elegance stem from a qualitative world whose origins are intangible. These qualities cannot be slapped onto wine as one replaces a layer of paint. Quality comes from an organized and intangible whole which extends to the grapes only when certain laws that generate life on Earth are respected. Alas, modern man has become incapable of understanding these macrocosmic laws for he is only interested in what he sees through his microscope or on the screen of his computer.
In reality, the time has come to realize that vines, like any other plant, only transform non-matter into matter. That's what photosynthesis is all about: converting air, heat and light into wood, leaves, grapes and also into taste, color, and aroma. Photosynthesis transforms energy into matter and life. All living things are made up of frequencies that harmonize with each other, just like the weightless musical notes in a piece of music.
Like each individual fruit, all life is generated by our vast solar system. Unfortunately humanity gets further and further away from comprehending this macrocosmic organization day after day, mostly for short term economic reasons.
The true winegrower is the one who devotes himself to understanding life. He is mindful that his efforts must not disturb our vast life system. Organic farming is all about allowing nature to "work." Biodynamics goes even further. It takes advantage of the knowledge of the planet's live energy system to help vines and plants nourish themselves more thoroughly. It serves as a catalyst by acting on photosynthesis and on soil life. Since energy is not measured in grams - as everybody knows who uses a mobile phone - results can be achieved with infinitesimal dosages per acre of certain preparations (a few grams or a few hundred grams). This approach is naturally quite upsetting to our materialist farming advisers who refuse to understand that life cannot be reduced to quantitative measurements since it is made up of frequencies. These same advisers also take issue with the fact that biodynamics is putting an end to their profitable market in order to restore a knowledge to the farmer that should never have been lost.
More and more talented winegrowers are converting to biodynamics because of its results. They also do so because more and more consumers are beginning to realize that modern technological wines taste the same anywhere on the planet and, depending on where the wine comes from, the same taste can be found for a fraction of the usual price. For once, the laws of economics go in the direction of truth.
France is one of the countries in the world with the greatest number of excellent microclimates and wine sites. There and around the world, it is urgent to restore true knowledge and to bring terroir back to life so that winegrowers and consumers can rediscover the pleasure of finding in wine the authenticity of site and real winemaking. Together, let's work for the "renaissance of appellation."
