Has biodynamics and organics become mainstream? The holistic approaches to grape growing are becoming more popular. They still represent a minority of vineyards but even the most traditional producers are starting to experiment.
In the news this week: Champagne producer Lanson starts dabbling in biodynamics and New Zealand aims for 20% of vineyard to be organic by 2020. If you’d predicted this 10 years ago, you would have been called a loon.
Yes, Lanson has purchased 14ha of biodynamic vineyards in the Marne Valley and Louis Roederer has bought 2ha of biodynamic vineyards in the same region. Conveniently, both sites are already certified so they don’t have to go through the drawn-out conversion process but it will represent a challenge for companies that are better known for buying the grapes to make wine rather than tending the vines.
In the same week, a group of New Zealand producers has announced that it hopes 20% of the country’s vineyard will be certified organic by 2020. It’s an admirable aim but it’s a big ask considering only 4.5% of NZ’s vineyards are certified organic at the moment.
I wonder what the herbicide, pesticide and fungicide manufacturers are thinking? I don’t think they’ll be quaking in their boots quite yet. And, even if producers do look to go organic or biodynamic, they’ll still be using sulphur and copper sulphate for powdery and downy mildew respectively.
Chemical companies would be smart to adapt to the changing attitudes toward chemical intervention by producing biodynamic preparations on a commercial scale. Or, will we see what’s happening in the on-trade with the drinks major companies offering no-interest loans and cash incentives to stock their products?
