I’ve borrowed Monty Waldin’s Biodynamics book from the library. I’ve had the ‘Auckland Library Courtesy email’ informing me it’s almost due back. I’ve had a good read of it but still haven’t quite mustered the motivation to take the notes I meant to, so I guess I’ll be renewing it or face fines.
Waldin’s book is pretty easy to dip in and out of, but ascending phases of the moon and burying cow horns all seems a bit leftfield for a girl from Middlesbrough.
I’ve visited plenty of biodynamic vineyards and despite some of the loony tune theories, it can’t be ignored that the vines and soils seem more balanced and healthier. I love driving up to a biodynamic winery and seeing grass growing under the vines rather than the conventional bare landing strip created by herbicides.
There are some fundamentalist biodynamic producers who do everything to the word but many producers are more laid back in their approach. You can only work to the biodynamic calendar as far as is possible, says Clive Dougall, Londoner and winemaker at Marlborough’s Seresin Estate. They’ve got 110 hectares to harvest and they’d be there all year if they only picked on fruit days.
They produce all their biodynamic preparations while many buy them in, so they’re not messing around. There’s currently a cow’s head under their lake filled with oak bark and the cow horns are buried under a mound. Geese waddle around, horses pull the world’s first biodynamic spray ‘tractor’ and chickens lay eggs for the staff. The only condition for getting a free supply of eggs is you must return the shells, as they add structure to the compost.
Everything should be certified biodynamic by June this year although, unofficially, it already is.
And so, to the wines. Does it make any difference? There’s certainly a balance and textural element in their wines and the winery would make it into my top five producers in New Zealand thus far. But how much is the quality of the wine down to biodynamic practises? The sceptics would argue the extra tender loving care in the vineyard would improve the wines biodynamics or no biodynamics. It’s not scientifically quantifiable, and this is one of the issues Monty Waldin raises too. Speaking of which, I must go and renew that book.
