Biodynamic Wine, Demystified

Nicholas Joly

From Amazon.com                                                

Wine is made in the Vineyard. It s the mantra of many a winemaker. But what does it mean, really?

Esteemed winemaker and biodynamic pioneer Nicholas Joly believes a wine that is well-made in the vineyard must express its unique terroir: the character imbued by a vine s particular plot of well-tended earth.

In Biodynamic Wine, Demystified, Joly shares the core philosophy behind biodynamic viticulture and why such practices result in wines of regional distinction. This process treats the vineyard as a self-perpetuating ecological whole influenced not only by terrestrial forces but those of the sun, moon and cosmos. He explains why the use of foreign substances like pesticides and fertilizers in the vineyard, and aromatic yeasts and enzymes in the cellar, as well as mechanisms like electric motors and pumps, disrupt this synergy and are ultimately counterproductive to a wine's best, consistent expression.

Peak Oil Resources Review:

This was a book that was kindly recommended to me by the good folks at the Wine Appreciation Guild.  It is not necessarily a book that I would have chosen to do a review on, as it's title is a bit on the intangible side for my purposes.  However, the philosophy that is passed on in Biodynamic Wine, Demystified, is not as inaccessible as one might think.

My initial impression of the opening chapters was that this was basically a book on organic growing or permaculture.  In some respects, that is exactly what it is.  However, there is more... which is where things get a a bit fuzzy.

There is much talk of cosmic forces; those invisible forces which Joly suggests are responsible for more of the external results of an indescribable number of processes than you would normally think.  It was initially unclear as to what precisely Joly was referring to in these "cosmic forces".  Within the last chapter or two, it was clarified that he was referring not to religious cosmic forces (vis a vis New Age-type sentiments), rather to those forces of what is ultimately physics, that governs our lives but which we cannot normally perceive.  For example, we all perceive gravity quite readily.  If we were to deny its existence, that would not stop its effects on us.  What we don't perceive is the effect of the gravitational pull of the other celestial bodies in our sky on Earthly events.  Similarly, its seems that we all have some manner of electrical energy inherent to ourselves.  This is the basis of many medical and physiological monitoring systems.  So, these things exist.  Joly paints a perspective of these characteristics in a way that deals with balance and harmony.  This is then applied to viticulture.

While there is some manner of imprecision in his writing, Joly does convey a very interesting perspective to the growth of the vine (and all of agriculture really).  Biodynamism in viticulture is a method that seeks to bring a union to the natural order (or Natural Law?) and the production of the fruit of the vine.  As one with a scientific background however, the occasional lack of working details was at times annoying.  I prefer ready access to the minutiae of how things function.  In reality, there is enough of what I will call "teaser" information to peak your curiosity.  With an extensive bibliography, you are also left with a roadmap to delve into this area of inquiry more thoroughly.

Is there truth in what Joly writes?  Probably.  Can it be proven?  Perhaps, to some degree.  It does open one's eyes to the possibility of there being other factors at work which affect our lives than what we are able to normally perceive.  This makes for an interesting, if unconventional read on this topic.  You will not get a lot of thorough and practical direction in this book, but it will point you the right direction of those details, if the philosophy resonates with you.  Biodynamic Wine, Demystified, is a book that will certainly challenge you to examine the world around you in a new way.