 |
|
BANG FOR THE BITE
Biodynamic wines are becoming easier to find, but are still more expensive due to the labor-intensive “made-by-hand” craft.
COCKTAIL FACT
Fertilizing with flower heads of yarrow fermented in a stag’s bladder is one method employed in biodynamic winemaking. Seriously.
| SAVE TO MY BITES |  |
FORWARD TO A FRIEND:
RATE THIS TIP:
How useful is this tip to you?
(5 is the highest)
home › tip library › Biodynamic Wines
Can it be true...something even better than organic wine?
The Bite
Biodynamic wine is the product of a holistic process of organic agriculture that works with the rhythms of nature; planting and harvesting take place with an eye to the phases of the moon, and the soil is viewed not simply as a growth medium for the grapes, but as an organism in its own right. So, sip on some biodynamic wine and skip the chemicals.The Benefits
- Better for People and Planet. Biodynamic wine is free of fumigants, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides – all of which can harm field workers and local eco-systems.
- Holistic farming? The biodynamic method maximizes the personality of a given plot of earth. Like a homeopathic doctor, a biodynamic farmer analyzes the land and determines what is out of balance.
- Higher soil quality. Studies show biodynamic farms have more organic matter content and microbial activity in their soil than conventional counterparts.
Personally Speaking
Most Biters are well aware of our love of vino. So, we were excited to discover that some of our favs are actually grown using biodynamic methods, like Brick House 2002 Pinot Noir and Araujo Estate's Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.Wanna Try?
- Biodynamic Wine Guide - the Burgundy and Alsace regions dig biodynamics. Find biodynamic wine producers worldwide.
- Benzinger 2003 Sonoma Mountain Red - one of several biodynamic varietals from Benzinger ($49).
- Wine from Sky to Earth: Growing & Appreciating Biodynamic Wine - for those interested in learning more, this book goes through the entire process ($19).
Feb 22,2006
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Wine and the Waxing Moons
I am at my best in the spring. I am - somehow - a better version of myself; more real and intense and in touch with the world. And spring arrives pretty early if you are a garden freak.
So in spite of wind chills in the teens, my inner garden freak is percolating. My mad crazy love of the world is becoming more pronounced.
Which leads me to planning for my rooftop this year - ideas about seeds and roots and shoots and herbs.
In a way, my planting is beginning to follow the rules of biodynamics (although, sadly, I am not growing grapes). And one element of biodynamic winemaking is to harvest according to the cycles of the moon.
So - interesting garden factoid to consider:
If you are planting "Roots" - things that need to grow deep and dark (think potatoes and carrots and anything that needs a big root base) - you should plan during a waning moon.
If you are planting "Shoots" - things that need to grow out and up and across and get tall (think flowers, climbers, and most veg)- you should plants during a waxing moon.
The theory is that if the moon can pull the ocean higher when it is getting full, it will help the seedlings to sprout and pull them out of the ground, and if it makes those same tides lower when it wanes, it will ease up on the pulling and let the roots take hold.
It might be complete garbage.
But I gotta say: anything that has the argument "I can pull the entire OCEAN at my will" has some credibility with me.
-Heather... off to dream of sprouting sweet peas...
Biter Comments...
In response to companies that offer biodynamic wines, one of the companies that you listed as organic also offers a line of biodynamics. Check out Frey vineyards, they ship to almost everywhere, their prices are not too bad, and their wine is excellent. They have a great variety, and a great website you can check out. I might sound like one of their marketing agents, but I'm just a friend of their family. Frey vineyards is owned and operated by the Frey family and friends. So if you love good wine thats good for you and the earth check them out.
Hello, Heather. Sorry to say, but I think your guess of 'complete garbage' is accurate.
You say: "The theory is that if the moon can pull the ocean higher when it is getting full, it will help the seedlings to sprout and pull them out of the ground, and if it makes those same tides lower when it wanes, it will ease up on the pulling and let the roots take hold."
In fact, the variation between tides is caused by a complex interaction of the gravitational pulls and the rotations of the sun-moon-earth system. It is nowhere near as simple as 'the moon pulls up on us to create high tides.'
To look at it another way, the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth is--on average--about 0.000034 m/s². By contrast, the gravitational pull of the earth itself is 9.766 m/s²--almost 300,000 times stronger! Surely the pull of the moon on a seedling is negligible?
If that weren't enough, consider what happens if you increase or decrease your distance from the Earth's surface by a distance of as little as 10m--by heading up or down a couple of flights of stairs, say. The gravitational pull of the Earth will be decreased or increased by an amount on the order of 0.00036 m/s²--a tiny amount, but still about ten times the effect of the moon's gravity. So in that case, it would seem to make more sense to say that people who live near sea level should plant 'roots', while people who live higher should plant 'shoots'... or even that people who live on the ground floor should plant 'roots' while people with rooftop gardens will do better with 'shoots'--no matter where the moon is located! Of course, all of this is absurd--and so, it seems, is that particular biodynamic claim.
Best of luck with the garden nevertheless.
I love the Ideal Bite newsletter, but have been disappointed lately to see specious material like this finding its way into the tips. (I have written you, Heather, and the rest of the team a letter explaining my view.)
You have all done great work so far; please continue to uphold high standards of research and rationality for your readers. Saving the planet doesn't necessarily mean being taken in by every bit of environmental-sounding mumbo-jumbo along the way!
-Steve
For those of you who DO buy into so-called mumbo jumbo (like the cockamamy theory that the earth is round), check this URL for a list of many biodynamic pinot noirs.
Hi everyone
I am a new member and really would appreciate some advice. for past two years I have been befriending an alcoholic. It really has been the most tragic story - this lady was only 52 and a doctor also. Anyway I have been to see her practically every day for past two years. She died suddenly last week.
The post mortem showed she died of liver failure. What I would like to know is ..................and this is what is torturing me. When I found her she was sitting in exact same position I had left her in. Also going on what she had drunk since I had last saw her day before - tells me she has died probably an hour or so after I left...... What actually happens when someone dies of liver failure? I have been torturing myself that she would have been in agony or having some sort of seizure/attack?
I am so sorry to be so morbid but this is tearing me apart. She only had me. She had more money than all my family and friends put together but she had nothing. She was terrified of life.
Regards, Richardson
how long does alcohol stay in your system
I was a drug addict/alcoholic Hispanic woman until two years ago. After a failed marriage and a lousy home life I ran away from home. At nineteen, I was living on the streets in whatever city I arrived at. My sole goal was to get high no matter what the cost. I got pregnant. When my daughter was 2 months old I got back into the drug scene and started getting real suicidal. I got put into a mental facility and received shock treatments. Nothing helped. At thirty I got hooked on crack, left my girls and attempted suicide again, only to wind up in another loony bin. I finally met a woman who led me to Jesus as the only hope for my life. Today He is my everything. Every dream, every goal, I have in life is to please Him. Irene. "He forgave us all our sins..."
Regards, Susan
http://howto.dcrdetox.com/
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Linda Smit | February 22, 2006 at 07:59 AM