January - Get inspired

After a regrettably gluttonous holiday the wife and I decided to follow the path of obligatory ‘detox’, although it’s not really a detox: more of a lonely road of zero alcohol travail. As if January wasn’t destined to be a mother of a drag anyway, we decide to highlight our guilt further by the suffering and self torture of booze deprivation. The long and short of it is I’ve been feeling a little glum. That was of course until today -how minor the little incidents appear to be in the rejuvenation of spirit! - perhaps it was the brilliant blue of the sky this morning or maybe the passing sight of someone a little more depressed than I, whatever the weather in my ascending spirits I happened across what it is that has driven me on these last three ‘Festival’ years, it was a quote from the enigmatic Michel Chapoutier:

‘the future of biodynamics will be limited only by the ability of the consumer to appreciate complex, sophisticated wine.’

Michel has a very good point and a spectacular belief in what he is doing. Michel has now converted his entire 250 hectare estate to Biodynamics, making him the single largest ‘BD’ producer in Europe. Like many other growers before him, it started with a trial and the results were convincing enough to convert the rest of the estate. Chapoutier, if you didn’t know already is one of the largest producers of quality wine in France’s Rhone valley. From supermarket wines at £5 to some of the best Ermitage at £150 he represents a good cross section of the market. His utilitarian approach to biodynamics has reaped as much as it has sown, but what is it exactly he’s doing differently?

”Key to biodynamics is considering the farm in its entirety as a living system. To this end, biodynamic farms are supposed to be closed, self-sustaining systems. Biodynamics also sees the farm in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. In this holistic view, the soil is seen not simply as a substrate for plant growth, but as an organism in its own right. The idea of using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides is thus an anathema to biodynamic practitioners. Instead, they use a series of special preparations to enhance the life of the soil, which are applied at appropriate times in keeping with the rhythms of nature. And disease is seen not as a problem to be tackled head-on, but rather as a symptom of a deeper malaise within the farm ‘organism’: correct the problem in the system and the disease will right itself. Biodynamics is in effect a supercharged system of organic farming. Where biodynamics differs significantly in practice from organics is in the use of these special preparations and the timing of their application—in other ways the techniques employed are quite similar.” (From Jamie Goode’s fabulous article:http://www.wineanorak.com/biodynamic1.htm)

It has been seen through -albeit limited- scientific research that Biodynamic farms outperform both Organic and conventional farms in ecological terms and are level pegging on the fiscal front (see references), where the biggest differences have been noted have been in the arena of wine production. Unlike conventional agricultural crops, the vine is a complex perennial, its powerful root system and disproportionately small ‘top half’ predispose it to astral influences. Being so root heavy it is the latest flowering fruit tree, it’s flowering corresponding to the summer solstice when the sun is literally touching the earth. The lunar dimension is particularly powerful in the vine, the rise and fall of sap being heavily affected by lunar position, the quality of fruit and disease susceptibility are notable outcomes.

If the vine is tended and treated in recognition of these influences it will clearly be a happier, healthier plant and from a more complete system. The chain of thought goes: healthier system: healthier vine: healthier grapes: healthier wine. If all is well throughout the wine will inevitably be better, it seems though as Michel hints at, that not all of us are able to appreciate it.

As the recent campaigns of UK celebrity chefs have shown we can all understand and more or less agree on the environmental and nutritional benefits of more expansive / less intensive systems. The sad truth is that as wonderful as al lof this seems it remains financially out of reach for many, the history of food provision in the UK has arrived at a point where food produced in the best possible way i.e. locally and naturally is vastly more expensive than foods from foreign lands and/or frightening production methods.

Much the same can be said of wine, although some of us will pay the difference and treat ourselves to wines that herald the most excellent manner of conception and offer an entirely superior experience, most will keep returning to the same old place for the same old plonk. The sort of wines that taste the same wherever they come from: be it the ubiquitous varietal wines of the £5 bracket, or the one-dimensional big names at £10. It doesn’t have to be this way.

This sounds like a depressing conclusion, but it’s not, as Michel said the only real limitation to the future of these wonderful ways of producing our food is our willingness to appreciate and consume their fruits. The major force of change lies with the consumer, it’s an empowering and liberating thought, inspirational even!

Reference: Reganold, John P.; Alan S. Palmer, James C. Lockhart, and A. Neil Macgregor (1993). "Soil quality and financial performance of biodynamic and conventional farms in New Zealand". Science 260 (5106)