What is Biodynamic?

Understanding Biodynamic

Biodynamic viticulture is rooted in the agricultural lectures given by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924, making it one of the oldest organized sustainable farming movements—predating the modern organic movement by decades. The approach treats the vineyard as an interconnected living organism where soil health, plant diversity, insect populations, and even astronomical cycles all contribute to grape quality. Biodynamic farmers use nine specific preparations (numbered 500-508), including the well-known Preparation 500 (cow manure fermented in a buried cow horn) to stimulate soil microbial life and Preparation 501 (ground quartz crystal) to enhance photosynthesis and fruit ripening. Tasks like pruning, planting, and harvesting are timed according to a biodynamic calendar that divides days into Root, Fruit, Flower, and Leaf categories based on lunar and planetary positions. While some of these practices remain scientifically debated, many of the world's most celebrated estates—Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, and Felton Road in Central Otago—farm biodynamically and credit the approach for producing more vibrant, terroir-expressive wines.

Examples

• 1Domaine Leroy and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, two of Burgundy's most prestigious estates, both farm biodynamically
• 2Preparation 500 involves burying cow horns filled with manure over winter, then spraying the resulting humus on vineyard soils in spring
• 3The biodynamic calendar recommends harvesting on "Fruit Days" when the moon's position is believed to enhance flavor concentration
• 4Nicolas Joly's Coulée de Serrant in the Loire Valley is considered a pioneer of biodynamic winemaking since the 1980s

Related Wine Terms