Sunday, May 27, 2007

Biodynamics - is this for real?

Before I put my stand on whether I believe in this Austrian philosopher, scientist and social reformer of his breakthrough concept of Biodynamic agriculture? I must give my hat to him after reading his famous quote on Anthroposophy (Greek for "wisdom of man), " Anthroposophy must come forward because the Spirit impels it to come forward. It must show forth its life because life cannot but reveal itself in existence. But it must never force its existence upon people. Waiting always for those to come who want it, it must be far removed from all constraint even the constraint of persuasion". How cool is that? It sounded like a spiritual leader making a speech. And, look at his interpretation on the word, "concepts", "Concepts are not derived from sense experience. The idea of a straight line does not come from the physical world. We are able to recognize straight thing because the idea, a nonphysical thing, lives within us. Concepts do not come from seeing the physical world but from an "inner seeing." He disagreed with Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) that "concepts" without perception are empty and any perception other than of the physical world is not known to ordinary consciousness. It so, my previous defense on "concept of terroir" could easily justify my belief. I already like this guy!

So, what is biodynamic? Is it for real? or some sort of mambo-jumbo attention seeker?

In 1924, a year before Steiner's passing. He was asked by a group of farmers on the subject of agriculture. He later gave a series of eight lectures known as Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture which remained as the foundation of "biodynamic farming" that is practicing till these days. Clearly, Steiner is a spiritualist (he created a new spiritual science known as "anthroposophy"), his thought on biodynamic farming was a combined of self-sustaining viticulture, along with his interest and belief on spiritual science (where earth itself is a living being and interconnected to everything in the universe) and homeopathic medicines, which he has benefited from his early days teaching from Felix Kogutski on medicinal plants.

Cosmic Rhythms & Astrology - In the eye of Steiner, plant life, as well as all living being dependent strongly on Cosmic and Earth rhythms. Biodynamic agriculture believe soil itself can be alive and if the farming activities could be aligned with Cosmic and Earth rhythms, the living soil will enhanced it life force/vitality/nutrition. A six different rhythmic cycles of Planting Calendar was introduced - e.g. Full-New Moon is said to enhance moisture content of the earth, which results in rapid growth of plant vegetation and it also promotes the idea condition for fungus growth. The Moon Nodes which similar to that of an eclipse of Sun by the Moon. All farming activities are forbidden during this brief period. Perhaps the most interesting of all is the Moon in Zodiac Constellations, which believed that, when Moon is passing in front of the zodiac constellations (each zodiac is a belt of fixed stars which are in grouping into what was known as constellations), it collects the energy of each constellation, reflected by the Moon and focuses it to the earth. Each three constellations, are responding to a part of 4 classical elements of nature - fire/warmth, air/light, water and earth (e.g. Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn are Earth, while Leo, Aries, Sagittarius are Fire...etc.) that gives the indication the days what best work to be done in the vineyard to achieve the maximum results. Within the Calendar, each day is also marked as Root, Leaf, Flower and Fruit day that corresponded to a part of the 4 elements - e.g. Earth - Root, Water - Leaf, Air - Flower, Fire - Fruit. For instance, root days are best to do anything connected with roots or soil, because the energy of the constellations are right for them. According to Allen Meadows, some of the burgundy biodynamic practitioners even goes as far as to suggest that only the days of Fruit and Flower that their wines are best shown....

Biodynamic Preparations (homeopathic medicines) - the homeopathic composts created for biodynamic farming are largely divided into Compost Preparations, which made from six well known medicinal plants - yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion and valerian, placing them in selected animal organ parts (Cow horn, Skulls, Stag's Bladder) and fermenting (buried) them in the soil during a certain part of lunar cycle. Spray Preparations are made primarily from cow manure and quarts and are known as "Horn Manure" and "Horn Silica" respectively. When those compost or manure treated on the soil, the plants are said to become more sensitive to their environment and responsive to the rhythms of cosmic and planetary.

The following are words from their producers in support of their belief for biodynamic.

Nicolas Joly of Coulée de la Serrant in the Savennières is perhaps the most famous earlier spokesman of Biodynamic (he discovered it in 1981). He has fully subscript to the use of animal manure in his vineyard and he thinks each animal manure produces very different forces - horse is fire, cow is earth, boar and pigs are root. According to Joly, many vineyards in France are overly treated with herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer, which kills all micro-organisms in the soil, another word, the soil is dead. Those homeopathic composts help to restore and stimulate soil life.
Beside Joly, burgundy is perhaps the region that owns the most aspiring biodynamists. Lalou Bize-Leroy is probably the first vigneron in burgundy to subscript to Biodynamic (since 1989). Her famous statement of "Le vin est d'inspiration cosmique, il a le goût de la matière du monde" (wine is from a cosmic inspiration, it has the taste of the world matter) says it all in her belief! Anne-Claude Leflaive of the famous Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet has converted her family's estate to 100 percent biodynamic since 1997 also supported the idea of the used of manure in her vineyard, which has overtime encourage the deep and wide of the root growth. Benjamin Leroux of Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard firmly believe in the influence of the cosmic calendar on his wines, whether in barrel or bottle, " it may not be scientifically explicable but is obvious nevertheless. I don't just see it every month. I see it every day. The key is to work with these rhythms - not to put man in the centre of the universe. And it's not just the moon but the weather."

What do I think about Biodynamic?
Today, there are about 230 certified biodynamic wineries worldwide. Apart from the above world-famous producers, there are many more high profile producers such as Comtes Lafon of Meursault, Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Jean-Louis Trapet of Gevrey-Chambertin, Marcel Deiss, Zind-Humbrecht of Alsace, Chapoutier and Marcoux of Rhône Valley were all gone into biodynamic. If there is nothing substantial in it, why would those guys risk their reputation on this technique which today remained controversial?

First of all, let me highlight that, the fundamental of biodynamic work very similarly with self-sustaining agriculture and naturalistic winemaking (or traditional winemaking). Like all self-sustaining agriculture, let it be the organic farming led by Lady Eve Balfour, Sir Albert Howard, or Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming. They all believed soil is a life form and wild plants should be self-sustaining within its given environment (like the cycle of life form and plants. Plants feed the animals, in turn when the animal is dead, it will decompose and return the nourishment back to the plants). Any man-made intervention like pesticides, herbicides will ultimately destroy the natural balance (the microbic activity in the soil will attract the related insects to takecare of the plants disease and parasite. In other words, nature had it all figured out), killed all microorganisms in the soil and the soil can no longer support plant growth. Eventually, it has to rely on synthetic fertilizers for nourishment.

In the article written by Michèle Shah on Nicolas Joly pointed out one interesting aspect that, the modern progressive agriculture, which rely on chemical herbicides, fertilizers will eventually kill the principles of life through which the vine captures its uniqueness. Joly states that, "A vine in its right place should bear within its fruits the truest and most faithful image of the environment in which it lives." He also suggested that the roots of a vine cannot be linked to the soil except through microorganisms and diversity in wines comes firstly from the soils on which the vines grow. Which explains why modern viticultural methods actually precludes the expression of terroir, or diversity.

Apart from the cosmic and astrological aspects, which best leaves it to psychic or astronomers, biodynamic method of building up stable humus in soil through animals manure work quite similarly with those organic farming of green manure and mulching. Pesticides, herbicides change the food-chain of the plants environment and the plants are exposed to more new disease and parasite that eventually requires more chemical treatment. The life span of the plants are compromised as well as the immune system and health of the plants. Those chemicals work similarly like antibiotic for human. They killed both good and bad bacteria in the body, which this case, microorganisms are destroyed at the same time. Jancis Robinson observed that, Leroy's vines were much healthier and livelier than those of its neighbors. Besides the health of the vines, many biodynamic producers also happen to be those who firmly embraced in traditional winemaking (people like Aubert de Villaine, Jean-Louis Trapet, Dominique Lafon, Anne-Claude Leflaive all are members of Les Domaines Familiaux de Tradition), which they focusing their energy in the vineyards rather than the winemaking techniques. They prize diversity in their wines and work hard in bringing out the tipicity of their terrior and house style. Allen Meadows also pointed out, most biodynamic practitioners are fanatical and pay attention to detail, which maybe explains, it was such obsession with details that biodynamics generally make better wine. Perhaps Matt Kramer has put it in a better prospective that, it was not the matter of whether biodynamic system works, but rather is the result worthwhile? My answer is - YES!

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