BIO DYNAMIC WINES - FOR A GREENER PLANET

The world has had its revelation. The human race has changed incredibly turning destroyer from creator, and now they are moving on as a Sustainer. Now, the whole world is in a quest to sustain and protect whatever is tangible. Work in a way that secures the future and future generations won’t curse us for the harm that we have done to their sustainability because of our crude actions. We as a race are trying to reduce the use of so many things which are indeed harmful and are constantly trying to invent things, which are greener, cleaner and friendlier for humanity .From the food we consume to the way it has been produced we have given birth to a new prefix – “ORGANIC”.
Well the world of wines has had this revelation way back in the 19th century. Through a series of interesting lectures on agriculture by Dr. Rudolf Steiner back in 1920’s the word Biodynamic came into being. At present it has become a copyright term so I am not very sure if it is right on my part to use it throughout my article. Kidding. In the recent past the culinary and beverage industry have seen a lot of terms which sound complicated and technically corny like Molecular Gastronomy, Molecular Mixology, Organic farming ,biodynamic wines and so on.
What exactly are biodynamic wines? Well, before my research on the topic, my impression on the biodynamic wine was that it is produced by keeping in mind the age old hoogga hoogga dance around the fire before planting the wines followed by another session of jigga jigga dance during harvesting and another couple of such entertainers in every other step. Well no one can say that I was completely wrong. Because bio dynamic wines are actually produced keeping in mind the farming techniques attuned to the spiritual forces of the cosmos. Which means biodynamic wines are cultivated by linking sowing and harvesting to the phases of the moon or the positions of the planets; it can also include burying cow manure in a cow's horn over the winter, unearthing it in the spring , diluting a minute amount of the substance in 34 liters of water, "Dynamizing" it by stirring it by hand in alternating directions for an hour spring or so and then spraying the mixture over one's vineyard.
In the recent years the trend of biodynamic wines have spread like wildfire in many leading regions including France, Italy, Austria ,Germany, Australia ,south Africa, Canada ,Chile and the United States and now there are over 450 biodynamic wine producers in the whole world and that number is increasing at a rapid rate. Several large producers of these regions have started adopting biodynamic viniculture. And when one of the best houses of France - Romanee Contee started coming up with biodynamic wines I was dead sure that this revelation was on to something. Though it is quite similar to organic wine making it also emphasizes the significance of healthy soil for cultivation, by use of natural compost which is mainly

mineral, vegetal or animal material in a very stringent quantity throughout the process. What excites me is that the farmers are so particular and they plant and tend to their crops according to the calendar where the energy in the plant is at peak due to some natural phenomenon and the precision in which these details are considered are at an epitome. Use of less chemicals reduces the sulfur content in the soil, creating each bottle of wine with minimum handling. The sulfur content in the wine is also of very high importance but the wine makers know it is required just in the right quantity or let me use the term “traces” so as to balance the wine in transit. It’s quite true that biodynamic wines do bring out the true flavors of the fruit because of its lack of intervention using other chemicals and hence the wine is more exclusive though low in alcoholic content when compared to its counterparts. The winemakers have observed that the biodynamic wines are more vibrant and claim that these wines are stronger and clearer in taste and are drinkable for a longer period of time. One another interesting thing noted is that there is a clear connection between the physiological ripeness of the fruit with the sugar content present which makes it a balanced wine and this helps to keep the alcoholic content perfectly balanced and same even where there is a change in the climatic condition.
All said and done, not everybody is very convinced about the quality, longevity and the durability of these wines. Especially a lot of resistance coming from the old world wine regions in lending out the appellation for Biodynamic wines and hence it is only given a simple “Vin de Table”- table wine. Well that does not mean that the wines produced biodynamically are an easy buy in the market like every other table wine. It has its own special way of being charged at a premium much like the sought after sourdough bread or the unpasteurized cheese. But not to forget, not just any winery can call them biodynamic, there is a very strict process that they must adhere to so that they can be classified as biodynamic.
When the whole world is embracing this new gig I was asking myself what Indian wineries were doing about it. I am sure they are certainly embracing the sustainability and organic shift that is taking place but considering the youth of the industry they have a long way to go before they can take that next step. The immediate goal right now seems to get the industry off the ground before taking that plunge, but it’s nice to know the big wigs in the industry, such as Rajeev Samant CEO of Sula Vineyards, are talking about it.
Now we just have to wait and see how this new hurricane is going to change the whole segment of the beverage industry. Till then I think you should just forget the lunar alignments and planetary changes and just enjoy the glass of beautifully crafted biodynamic wine and you will learn for yourself how special it can be.