Biodynamic: a load of quackers?
Monday 26 April
Geese at Seresin
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.
“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.”
My own garden is certainly healthier in the absence of chemicals and the soil is much improved by the addition of naturally produced compost.
I wonder how much of a difference there is between organic and biodynamic vineyards? I suspect it would be hard to prove much of a difference even if there was one to prove.
- by Colin Smith, UK
Hi Colin,
Great to hear from you.
From my experience, the difference between organic and biodynamic is that organics is more to do with NOT adding anything; biodynamics is about adding the specific preparations (501-507) and viewing the vineyard holistically plus working with the phases of the moon.
Whatever your view, organics and biodynamics can only be a good thing, providing a long-term sustainable way of working the land.
- by Rebecca Gibb
Hi Rebecca
Great piece. As a bit of a tree-hugger I like the concept of organics and biodynamics. I’ve often struggled with the irony that, organics particularly, is seen as ‘wacky’ when this was how most agriculture was undertaken prior to the early 20th Century. There is so much empirical evidence that either leads to increased to vineyard health, increased biodiversity includign the return of those critters that are natural predators of those that do harm to the precious vines.
With biodynamics I love the notion that the rhythms of the land lie in the phases of the moon - and why shouldn’t they?
The one thing I have struggled with is where the cow horns come from? Is there a biodynamic online retailer selling the things online? Or is there a Bunnings/ B&Q style merchant selling them stacked up in large pallets?
Stuart
- by Stuart Robinson
I have no idea where the cow’s horns come from but I imagine that you can get them from Demeter, the BD association. I guess they’re the Bunnings of biodynamics. However, I shall ask around and let you know!!
- by Rebecca
Hi Stuart and Rebecca,
Cow horns can be hard to come by! We use horns from our own cows wherever possible. We supplement this with horns which come from local farms, or through the Biodynamic Association.
Our horns are used all year round - in the summer time they are filled with preparation 501, and through the winter they hold our preparation 500. Each horn is used for around 5 years before it stops being effective and it is retired.
Please let us know if you have any other questions!
- by Seresin Estate
I love the idea of retired cow horns. Do they go and play bingo and bowls after they’re done with biodynamic preparations, I wonder?
- by Rebecca
I wonder if any of the biodynamic practitioners reading this could assist. I am curious whether:
1. Any research has been conducted on alternative “biodynamic” preparations, e.g. using native plants as the basis for preparations (as I assume these have a more natural relationship with the environment in each region of the world); or, for that matter, whether other forms or variants of preparations have been found to produce superior results?
2. Whether biodynamic preparations, especially composts, produce different results when used on different soils - e.g. limestone or chalk soild compared with acidic clays, gravels or sands?
- by Hugh Ammundsen