Many of us are familiar with the industry standard for "organic" products as encountered on shelves of the Trader Joe's and Whole Foods of the world: "organic" best practices for farming and production entail environmentally-friendly techniques (humane treatment of animals, no genetic modification or hormone additives, etc.) and prohibit application of chemical agents. And, of course, there are a host of industry organizations conferring certifications for such contingent upon compliance with regular, recurring inspections.
For me, however, the "biodynamic" component of this category is particularly interesting. "Organic" is a necessary but not sufficient condition to qualify as "biodynamic". In short, "biodynamic" principles of production not only mitigate disruptions to the broader ecosystem surrounding the wine-making process, but also, importantly, harness it as a factor of production, drawing closely on astrological paradigms as well. One early-20th century historical figure in agricultural industry, Rudolph Steiner, is the founder of the movement.
Two notable "biodynamic" practices in wine-making:
- a "biodynamic" calendar determining the seasonality of different stages of production
- composting practices ("stuffed cow horns" in particular)
Sources:
A. Van Engelen: http://www.triplepundit.com/2008/11/the-difference-between-biodynamic-and-organic-wines/
Wine Folly: http://winefolly.com/review/biodynamic-wine-guide/
I've always found biodynamic farming interesting, in fact I embarrassingly wrote a paper on biodynamic wineries in college. It probably wasn't great considering my standard for great wine at the time was two buck chuck. Anyway...I digress. When I first read about biodynamic farming, it sounded like a bunch of made up stuff. The piece you mentioned above were particularly silly sounding to me (e.g. following the astrological calendar, making weird preparations that are buried underground from 6 months). But the more I've looked at it, the more other pieces of biodynamic farming make sense. It ultimately rests on the idea that farms (or wineries) should be healthy ecosystems. Rather than using fertilizers or bringing in pest control, you build gardens to attract pollinators and you bring in other larger animals to prey on pests. In my mind conventional farming has often forgotten the value of healthy ecosystems and the way it contribute to healthy crops. Biodynamic farming is one answer to restoring the ecosystem to the heart of the farm.
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