The SOMM Journal

April / May 2017

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54 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2017 { carte blanche } EARLY THIS YEAR, A STUDY was released by a group of scientists led by Dr. Wendy Parr of the Centre of Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University in New Zealand, the aim of which was "to investi - gate a central tenet of biodynamic philoso- phy as applied to wine tasting, namely that wines taste different in systematic ways on days determined by the lunar cycle." Quite an interesting undertaking, consid - ering the air of mystery and misconception that often surrounds the practice of biodynamics in grape-growing and winemaking. The biodynamic phi - losophy, as it pertains to tasting wine, follows the same train of thought as the biodynamic planting calendar (indeed, both are based off The Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar, which is a must-have for any biodynamic practitio - ner), the idea being that wine will taste better on fruit and flower days (fruit being the most ideal of days) and not show as well on root and leaf days (with root days being the least ideal of days to open a bottle and taste). As noted in the forward of this pocket-sized guide, wine is considered a living organ - ism, including wine in a bottle, and is thus governed by the same astral influences that affect every living being. The study was, by all accounts well set- up and executed (19 wine professionals blind tasted 12 Pinot Noirs four separate times—twice on root days, and twice on fruit days), and found that there was no perceptible difference between the wines tasted on the separate days. What is—to me—most interesting about this study is not the findings them - selves, but the reaction within the wine industry to the results. The reactions ranged from mildy amused "I told you so" remarks from naysayers of the practice to those who felt this was the proof they needed to discredit entirely the use of biodynamic practices in the wine industry. Within days of the study's release, I had the chance to speak with two winemakers (who both employ biodynamic prac - tices in their vineyards) to ask them their thoughts in rebuttal. "It is really hard to get solid data," noted Nicolas Quille, General Manager and Head Winemaker for Banfi Vintners' wineries in the Pacific Northwest. "I am conflicted about the calendar anyway; there are a lot of realities in life that make it hard to work within the calendar. Sometimes it isn't possible to harvest on a fruit day if, for example, it is raining. Professionally, we are called on a regular basis to taste wine even if it isn't an ideal day." At a recent tasting in Los Angeles, Frédéric Barnier, Technical Director at Louis Jadot, started the tasting by saying, with a smile, "Today is a fruit day, so . . ." and raising his glass in the anticipation of a wonderful showing. When I asked him after the tast - ing his thoughts on the biodynamic tasting calendar and Dr. Parr's recent study, he noted "We are using this as another source of information. But remember, the calendar is a useful piece of knowledge, but doesn't make the quality of a wine; it is just a factor in a very complex equation." This sentiment was echoed, in part, by Quille: "I don't find a great correlation all the time, but I find the tasting calendar to be an easy target. It is pretty esoteric, and I don't think anyone has done a really good job studying its veracity." He continued, "We are affected by the lunar cycle—it makes sense. I also don't understand why we argue so much about it. The underlying message in those articles is that if the tasting calendar is not valid, then all of biodynamics is not valid, and I don't like those innuendos. Almost a backdoor way of 'debunking' bio - dynamics as a whole. Regardless of whether you believe Rudolph Steiner or burying the horns, let's not get lost in the details but focus on the outcome—it is a way to grow a healthier crop." For more information on Dr. Parr's study, visit http://journals.plos.org/plosone/ article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0169257 Over the Moon IN DEFENSE OF THE BIODYNAMIC WINE TASTING CALENDAR by Karen Moneymaker When Wine Tastes Best 2017: A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers is available on Amazon.

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