Biodynamic Wine

What it is

Biodynamics is a farming approach based on the ideas of Rudolf Steiner that treats the estate as a living organism, as self-sufficient as possible. In wine it has developed above all in France, with Alsace, the Loire and Burgundy as reference regions, and there are now biodynamic vineyards in many wine-producing countries. The taste depends on the grape, region and style, not on biodynamics itself. Many growers value it as a way of caring for soil and vines, while some of its foundations remain debated.

How it is made

It builds on organic farming practices and adds preparations made from manure, silica and plants, applied in very small doses to the soil, the vines and the compost. Work is scheduled according to a calendar that takes lunar and planetary rhythms into account. It is not a public legal category: certification is granted by private bodies such as Demeter or Biodyvin, and as it is defined by method it can apply to any grape variety.

What to serve it with

• Garden vegetables
• Roast poultry
• Baked fish
• Mushrooms
• Farmhouse cheeses

On the wine list

• Only mention a specific label (Demeter, Biodyvin) if the producer is certified; "biodynamic" without certification is the producer's own claim.
• It is usually more helpful to organise the wine list by style and region and mark biodynamic wines with an icon than to group them in a section of their own.
• Train staff to explain it in one sentence, without promising health effects or a special taste; serve it at the temperature of its wine type.