The Review - FOOD & DRINK - THE WINE PRESS Published: 4 October 2007
The father of Biodynamics, Rudolf Steiner
A dynamic approach to organic wine production
Rudolf Steiner’s theories on sustainable wine production were largely ignored for many years, but are now enjoying a resurgence
BIODYNAMIC: its organic with knobs on and it’s a growing worldwide farming trend. Currently practised in 40 countries, a high percentage of its practitioners are winemakers – many are French. It promotes a holistic approach to plant growing and is particularly prevalent in the ancient winemaking regions of Alsace and Burgundy.
Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner – who originated the Waldorf system of education and founded anthroposophy – created biodynamic farming in the 1920s. Appalled by the damage he believed mainstream science was doing to the land, Steiner applied his philosophical theories to farming and devised the first ecologically sound agricultural system.
Like the modern organic movement, Steiner condemned the wanton use of chemicals and promoted natural farming methods. Then he went further: the Earth, he maintained, was a living being and each farm a living entity and, treated correctly, a self-sustaining unit. The role of the farmer was to tune in to the spiritual rhythm of the land and its surrounding environment and to work in harmony. Pests and diseases were symptoms of a sickness, and wiping them out with chemicals achieved little, he claimed. He devised a complex set of procedures, some of which involved burying cow horns filled with manure, then, months later, digging them up and spreading the contents around the farm.
For almost three quarters of a century, Steiner’s views on farming went largely unrecognised. In contrast, his educational ideas gained a growing following. There are more than 1,000 Waldorf schools worldwide, most of them founded in the past 30 years. Also booming are sales of medicines for anthroposophical treatment and holistic cosmetics.
Recently a new generation of young farmers, disillusioned with modern farming and convinced that organic farming has been compromised by giant agricultural corporations, have tuned in to Steiner’s message.
French winemakers in particular have found biodynamic farming an attractive proposition. It gels with their perception of “terroir”, a semi- mystical concept we Brits struggle to understand and often translate as meaning the land, or a sense of place.
Many biodynamic winemakers believe their farms have been severely damaged by years of unrestrained chemical usage. “Organic farming improves the land, biodynamic farming heals it,” one told us. Surprisingly, nearly all of them embrace modern winemaking methods.
Biodynamic wineries often contain the latest electronic winemaking gadgets and glisten with stainless steel vats and storage tanks. They may have rejected modern science in the vineyard, but it often dominates the winery.
There are some well-known winemaking names among biodynamic supporters. They include top Burgundian winemaker Lalou Bize-Leroy – a member of the renowned Leroy family and owner of Domaine Leroy and producers of extremely expensive premier cru wines.
Paul Chapoutier, the Rhone Valley’s leading winemaker, whose bottle labels contain Braille is another devotee.
However, most Biodynamic producers are small scale. Many appear to be practical farmers, who see their farm as part of a living ecosystem and regard Steiner as a guide and not a guru to be followed slavishly. To them he is an exceptional individual who recognised and anticipated modern ecological problems long before anyone else.
• BIODYNAMIC farming: is it a load of airy fairy mumbo jumbo, or the creation of an inspired visionary messiah, or perhaps something
in-between?
This Saturday sees the launch of a biodynamic fortnight at Borough Market. Events include a series of talks and product-tastings, including biodynamic wines. Among the many participants are Michel Roux Jnr from the Michelin-starred La Garovche in Mayfair; Hampstead-based Kirwin Tawadey of Hampstead Teas fame and Monty Waldin author of Biodynamic Wines. A full list events can seen at www.biodynamic.org.uk
For information on Borough Market go to www.boroughmarket. org.uk
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