Challenger asked Olga Portnova, the author of the wine and gastronomic project Taste & Travel, a member of the Russian Sommelier Association and brand director of Ian Macleod Distillers in Russia, to tell the whole truth about biodynamics and explain why winemakers bury cow horns and collect moonlight at night.

The term “biodynamics” was first used in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist, philosopher and occultist, in a series of lectures on the restoration of agriculture after the First World War. First of all, he blamed farmers who, due to their excessive enthusiasm for chemicals and technology, did not want to know anything about natural energy or the connection between the earth and space. Steiner believed that it was possible to improve the quantity and quality of the harvest only by synchronizing work in the field with natural biorhythms. His work “The Spiritual Foundations of Successful Agricultural Development” is considered the “bible” of biodynamics. But Steiner’s ideas gained real popularity only in the 70s of the last century, and specifically among winemakers. There are now more than 450 relatively large biodynamic wineries in the world. Most of them are located in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Austria, but there is also one in Russia - not far from Sevastopol, and belongs to the famous winemaker Pavel Shvets.

Basics of Biodynamic Winemaking

Biodynamics considers the vineyard as a single system. Soil, plants, insects, animals, sun, water, moon, stars - all this equally influences the ripening of grapes and subsequently the quality of wine. Naturally, things like pesticides, chemicals and inorganic fertilizers are strictly prohibited and cow dung is used instead. They fill a cow's horn with it (fertilizer No. 500), after which the horn is buried in the ground until spring. To treat and prevent diseases of the grapevine, the same scheme is done with dandelion, chamomile, tree bark and nettle. The vineyard is processed manually or with the help of animals (horses and cows), mechanical impact is kept to a minimum.

Steiner's followers believe that a favorable atmosphere is the most important component of the daily care of the vineyard. So, some enthusiasts talk to the grape bushes, collect various herbs in the vicinity of the vineyard, make special decoctions based on them and spray the vines with them. And the most progressive biodynamists give each barrel names, such as “Energy” or “Life,” and play classical music in the cellars while the wine is aging. During fermentation, the wort is stirred for half an hour clockwise and half an hour counterclockwise, thus maintaining balance and harmony. Well, and most importantly, biodynamists carry out all work in the vineyard or in the cellars, relying solely on the lunar calendar (and some even collect moonlight in empty plastic bottles at night).

So, here are the basic principles of biodynamics:

1. Care for the vineyard only in accordance with the phases of the moon.

1. Using only organic fertilizers, taking into account natural biorhythms and careful timing.

1. Refusal of mechanized systems: only manual work and use of pets.

1. Biochemical purity of the vineyard.

1. Ideally, a certificate (not all winemakers have the money and time to go through the lengthy certification procedure, so “non-certified biodynamists” are often found).

There are special certification agencies for biodynamic wines, such as the world's oldest Demeter International, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association in the USA and Biodivin in France. But getting the coveted badge on the label is not so easy, because it is not the wine itself that is certified, but the vineyard. Therefore, before being certified, producers must use biodynamic farming methods in their wineries for three years.

Biodynamics: pros and cons

Biodynamics is first and foremost a philosophy; scientists disown it, considering such methods to be shamanism. And it is precisely because of the “mystical” component that biodynamics has a sea of ​​opponents and critics. But it’s still hard to argue with the fact that such painstaking work and careful care of the vineyard allows one to achieve good, and sometimes simply amazing, results.

As for taste characteristics, it will be difficult for even the most experienced wine drinker to distinguish a regular wine from a biodynamic one. If everything is in order with the wine, then it is almost impossible for a non-professional to discern the difference. And since these wines are more “fragile” and unstable than ordinary ones, non-compliance with the temperature conditions during transportation and storage can greatly harm them, and people may decide that the drink is spoiled. Professionals believe that biodynamic wines have a brighter taste, a purer and more intense aroma, and such wine looks more “alive” in the glass. But this, of course, is all very subjective.

The term “biodynamics” was proposed by the Austrian mystic philosopher, founder of anthroposophy. In 1924, he prepared a course of lectures on agriculture, in which he urged farmers to rely not on chemical fertilizers and labor mechanization, but on the forces of space and manure.

In the 70s of the last century, winegrowers in Central Europe became interested in Steiner’s ideas. Today, biodynamics or its elements are practiced in hundreds of farms around the world: in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Chile. The first such vineyard appeared in Crimea a couple of years ago.

Terroir is of great importance to biodynamists. The French use this word to describe the characteristics of the area where the grapes were grown. The combination of “soil—light—water—heat” is different for each region, and high-quality wine reflects these characteristics and has a “taste of terroir.” Adherents of biodynamics claim that modern technologies simplify not only the lives of winegrowers, but also the wine itself. Herbicides and synthetic fertilizers affect the soil, weaken the vines, and reduce the quality of the grapes. And winemakers are no longer “helpers of nature” (as the modern biodynamic ideologist Nicolas Joly calls himself), but manipulators who use aromatic yeast and enzymes, practice reverse osmosis (a special type of water purification), chaptalization (adding sugar to the wort to increase the degree) and others “unnatural” things for vinification.

Corbis/Fotosa.ru

Biodynamic farming is essentially an advanced version of organic farming, and it works according to the fashionable “back to nature” principle. The main focus is on improving soil health. Chemicals are prohibited. Manual labor is encouraged.

Then the differences begin, which cause heated debate. The vineyards are fertilized with compost (it is produced here from berry juices) with biodynamic preparations. They are made from manure, quartz, oak bark, chamomile flowers, yarrow, dandelion, nettle and valerian. According to Steiner, these ingredients establish energetic connections between the earth and space. All preparations are first fermented, and in very extravagant ways: in the skulls of domestic animals, the bladder of a deer and other unexpected containers.

The hallmark of biodynamics is a cow's horn stuffed with manure and buried in the ground to absorb the energy of the Universe. The public laughs, but biodynamists believe that in six months it will not be just a foul-smelling “spare part” of a cow, but an energy bomb. It is necessary to spray the vineyards with “spiritualized,” as Steiner put it, manure mixed with rainwater, and the treated area will accumulate life-giving heavenly forces and give a harvest that competitors have never dreamed of.

Mixing drugs with water, or “dynamization,” is another feature of biodynamics that Steiner wrote about in detail. Another specific practice is working on the Moon and stars. It depends on the heavenly bodies whether to prune the vine, pick berries, apply fertilizer, or wait for a more favorable time.

Not all producers of biodynamic wines share Steiner’s philosophy and use only elements of biodynamics. Official science generally refuses serious conversations on this topic, believing that biodynamic undertakings smack of obscurantism. It’s a paradox, but experiments conducted, in particular, at the Swedish Institute of Organic Agriculture, confirm the effectiveness of biodynamic practices. In any case, in the matter of land improvement. The Swedes have found that the introduction of biological products promotes the active colonization of the soil with beneficial microorganisms and makes it more fertile. What plays a big role here, the phases of the moon or simply natural fertilizer and manual labor, scientists are silent.

Differences in opinion make biowine certification difficult. The label “biodynamic” on the bottle and the relatively high price (at least 10% more expensive than others) do not mean that the wine is of high quality. However, many famous winemakers who practice biodynamics produce truly extraordinary products. Among them: Clos de la Coulee de Serrant (Loire Valley), Domaine Zind Humbrecht (Alsace), Domaine Leroy (Burgundy), Hermitage (Rhône Valley), Alvaro Palacios and Dominio de Pingus (Spain), Araujo and Benziger (California), Cullen Wines (Australia). You can also try their wines in Russia - in gastronomic restaurants, at tastings, or by purchasing them in specialized wine stores. Due to their characteristics, including the reduced content of preservatives, these wines often require special storage conditions.

However, labels should not mislead you, experts remind. “The inscription “made from organic grapes” literally means the following: the grapes were grown organically, as evidence of which the manufacturer, as a rule, has an appropriate certificate,” writes John Bonnet, author of the bestseller “Wine with and without rules. The definitive guide for wine lovers". “However, “organic grapes” cannot be automatically equated with “organic wine”: the latter requires a different certificate, which also takes into account production technology - in particular, an almost complete refusal to use sulfur dioxide as a preservative. According to the biodynamic viticulture certificate, the requirements are even more stringent and can only be issued by organizations such as Demeter and Biodyvin, however, more and more winemakers are using biodynamic methods without any certificate. When making certified biodynamic wines, the winemaker must follow strict rules: for example, he cannot technically reduce the alcohol content.”

website“I remember my shock five years ago,” writes culinary expert Elena Chekalova on the TASS portal. At the trendy Copenhagen restaurant Relae, my husband and I ordered red Burgundy wine for dinner and received a strange bottle with an even stranger label: it was written on by hand. But the strangest thing was its contents: some kind of potion, as if a wild genie had burst out of the bottle!

- What is this? - I asked the waiter.

This is biodynamic Burgundy,” he replied.

- Can I replace it with a regular one? - I asked.

To my horror, having visited all the most famous restaurants of the Danish gastronomic Mecca, I everywhere came across only these seemingly unfermented or fermented wines without any pleasant aftertaste for me, and even from 50 euros per bottle. Why on earth should I pay more for biodynamic Burgundy than for traditional, fine and balanced Burgundy? I was not convinced by the talk about exclusivity, small batches and hand-picked grapes, and most of all, I was infuriated by the talk about how natural should be annoying.

At Noma, the star of world gastronomic ratings, I was answered almost rudely to another groan: real seasonal food should be accompanied by real wines, and if you don’t want it, we can pour you natural juices - from elderberry, for example. No, the truth, of course, is in wine (in vino veritas), but then for the first time I learned that there are some new truths in wine that I have not yet caught up with.

About two years later, I fell in love with Parisian gastrobistros and their amazingly creative dishes. But the same biodynamic madness reigned in them. And then I tried the so-called orange wines for the first time: I suddenly liked the very unusual, intense taste and was simply mesmerized by their deep amber color. It turned out that this is also biodynamics.

Gradually, I began to find interesting red and white biodynamic wines on gastropub menus. And, most importantly, I understood why biodynamics is so sweet to bistromaniacs: as one of my favorite chefs, Jean-François Piège, says, “the important thing is to prove not that you are the best in the world, but that you have the right to always remain yourself.”

How did these strange winemakers manage to “promote” the whole world? I answer the questions that I once asked myself and did not receive clear answers.

Biodynamic wine - what is it?

It is a product of biodynamic farming, which, according to the official definition, proclaims “a spiritual, ethical and ecological approach to agriculture, gardens and food production.”

In other words, biodynamics is not only non-aggressive methods of farming that do not harm the earth and nature, but also a whole philosophy of life.

Who came up with all this?

The author of the term “biodynamics” is an Austrian philosopher, writer, architect and mystic Rudolf Steiner. In the early 20s of the last century, he gave several lectures to farmers who wanted to restore their farms as quickly as possible after the First World War.

Listeners complained to the lecturer that the then newfangled methods of treating land with pesticides did not bring the expected results. Steiner offered his own way of healing the earth. A farm, he preached, is a complex organism in which everything is interconnected, and at the same time it is part of the universe.

If a plant is sick, this is a sign of a malfunction of the whole organism. Ideally, a farm should be a self-sustaining system that produces its own fertilizer and animal feed. And in order for world energy to come to its aid, it is necessary to coordinate sowing, weeding and harvesting with the rhythms of the Moon and planets.

For every task - pruning, watering, harvesting - there is a best day in the lunar calendar. Steiner was a holisticist: he believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. “Healing” the soil, he said, can only be done with natural, specially prepared additives - extracts from horsetail, nettle, yarrow and other herbs.

And the most effective preparation should be prepared like this: on the day of the autumn equinox, a cow’s horn should be stuffed with manure and buried in the ground, and on the spring equinox, dig up and dissolve the resulting compost in water in order to irrigate the plants with new vital energy. Steiner outlined all these thoughts in his work “The Spiritual and Scientific Foundations of the Successful Development of Agriculture,” published in 1924.

Throughout the twentieth century, people either made fun of this work or admired it. But by the end of the last century, Steiner had definitely become the idol of some European winemakers. Nicolas Joly was the first in France to convert his vineyards in the Loire Valley to biodynamics and achieved the fantastic quality of Les Vieux Clos and especially Clos de la Coulee de Serrant (in Russia, a bottle of the latter costs about 10 thousand rubles).

How is biodynamic wine made?

I was able to visit the winery of the cult Italian biodynamist Yoshki Gravnera(Friuli Venezia Giulia region on the border with Slovenia), and he himself showed and told me everything.

Yoshka immediately drew my attention to the birdhouses and the pond next to the vineyard: it is very important that there are many birds that clean the vines from insects, and that the air is naturally moist - after all, there can be no irrigation or other artificial interventions, the vine must work itself , day and night extracting water.

“I have not used fertilizers, pollinations, drugs or added anything to wine for twenty years,” explains Gravner. - Fertilizers for vines and additives for wine are like drugs for people: at first they seem to give strength, but then they kill. When I was young, I foolishly used antibotrites, but the grapes themselves must fight mold - you can help just a little by removing what is interfering. In addition, there is also noble mold, which only deepens the taste of the berries. And of course, no clarification is needed, no powerful wine presses, no equipment at all, except for a basic small tractor. In nature, everything works as in humans. There is an angel and a devil. We must be careful that the devil does not gain the upper hand. If you kill the red spider, the enemy of the vineyard, you will simultaneously kill its rival. It is important to maintain a balance without chemicals.

- But you add sulfur?

You need to approach everything wisely. The future wine needs a very tiny amount of powdered sulfur, which we mix with propolis. This creates a natural antibacterial and stabilizing agent. There is more sulfur in vegetables, in fish, in water, in juices than in my wine. We also use little copper, less than half the usual dose. But the main thing is completely different. True winemaking begins with a fundamental understanding: the vineyard and the wine are two inseparable parts of one whole. Wine must be grown like a vine - day after day. It grows with the vine even before the berries appear. A good winemaker is close to the vines every day: to understand the plants, feel them, remove excess.

Gravner, like all biodynamists, is convinced that the main work with good wine is not in the winery, but in the vineyard. Because wine is a child. It needs to be conceived, given birth, helped to grow stronger and raised, but not controlled every minute. It is more important to understand not what you should do with it, but what you should not do.

During the growth cycle, no chemicals should be introduced that harm the balance of the ecosystem, nor should invasive sprays or herbicides be used. You need to make friends with thick fogs and learn to recognize danger, you need to be able to wait and look carefully at the vineyard every day to notice any nuance and ask yourself: is today the right day?

And once the wine goes to the cellar, human intervention is completely unacceptable. All this in biodynamics is called “doing nothing”: study your region, observe the vineyard and nature, follow it, do not destroy the ecosystem, minimize the mechanical impact on the vines and berries, do not change the wine, do not pollute it, do not rush it, do not intervene in its development. Then the time will come, and the wine will open to you in your glass.

On Nicolas Joly’s business card it is written: “Nature’s helper, not a winemaker.”

What does a cow's horn have to do with it?

A considerable, if not the majority, of winemakers and wine critics look at biodynamics with skepticism: they say that there is no scientific basis for it. As the clearest example of the madness of biodynamists, everyone certainly cites the very burying of cow horns with manure, the so-called “preparation 500”. Frenchman Nicolas Joly explains:

90% of what is born in the vineyard is the result of photosynthesis. The essence of wine is the harmony of light, water and earth. The winemaker's task is to achieve harmony of the elements in his vineyard. Biodynamics is not a set of recipes, but a study of practices that help to embody natural forces in grapes. Manure is also such a lever of vitality.

According to the Biodynamie Services website, “500″ is a powerful product that “stimulates soil microbial activity, regulates pH, promotes seed germination and dissolves minerals.”

When I asked about the “horn” of the Crimean biodynamist Pavel Shvets, he spread his hands:

“Yes, and I bury it too - maybe it’s strange, but it works. There is something mystical about wine.”

Do biodynamic wines taste much different from regular ones?

Often people feel: this is some kind of unusual wine. At first I probably don't like it. The appearance is also alarming: white ones can be cloudy, and red ones are often less transparent. The smells are surprising: intense, sometimes even wild. But the more you drink them, the more you become attached and begin to appreciate their roughness and emotionality. As Nicolas Joly says, biodynamics are wines of open feelings; they reveal the character of the winemaker no less than the terroir.

Among my favorites are the wines of the Austrian estate Gut Oggau, in Burgenland. The vineyard, which is kept by one family, consists of small plots. Each has its own name, and the grapes from each are vinified separately. The result is nine wines named after fictional characters - members of a fictional family. Their “portraits” are on the labels of nine Gut Oggau bottles.

The “wine people” project is the best visualization of the characteristic nature of biodynamics: such bright personalities cannot please everyone. But to those who become attached to it, ordinary, even very high-quality wines begin to seem too smooth and not lively enough.

Why is biodynamic wine more expensive than regular wine?

The process of making biodynamic wine is almost exclusively manual labor, which is much more expensive than machine labor, and winemaking, inscribed in natural cycles, requires much more time.

Are biodynamic wine, organic wine, natural wine all the same thing?

Not really.

In the production of all these wines, they try not to use chemicals. However, organic winemaking does not bother with natural cycles and cosmic philosophy.

“Naturals” also do not particularly philosophize, but at the same time they are even more rigorists: “no” is declared even to sulfur, which has been used as a preservative since Antiquity. Because of this, “natural wines” are unstable and difficult to transport.

How many such biodynamists are there in the world?

There are now about 750 biodynamic producers in the world, and there are more and more of them every year. As Nicolas Joly says, when the first of them started, their neighbors laughed at them and considered them sectarians and lunatics. And ten years later they began to ask questions - what and how.

Where can you buy and try biodynamic wines from us?

In online stores. There is a Russian company that specializes in these wines - RAW (Real Authentic Wine). She hosts festivals and supports restaurants and bars with biodynamic wine lists. At first, such establishments opened in St. Petersburg: Big Wine Freaks, “On wine!”, Beef Zavod. Now there is Big Wine Freaks in the capital, as well as Max’s Beef for Money, and biodynamic positions are increasingly appearing in the wine lists of other establishments. Ask - and you will certainly find.

Elena Chekalova.
TV presenter, gastronomic columnist, author of three best-selling books about world cuisine.

The term “biodynamics” was proposed by the Austrian mystic philosopher, founder of anthroposophy. In 1924, he prepared a course of lectures on agriculture, in which he urged farmers to rely not on chemical fertilizers and labor mechanization, but on the forces of space and manure.

In the 70s of the last century, winegrowers in Central Europe became interested in Steiner’s ideas. Today, biodynamics or its elements are practiced in hundreds of farms around the world: in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Chile. The first such vineyard appeared in Crimea a couple of years ago.

Terroir is of great importance to biodynamists. The French use this word to describe the characteristics of the area where the grapes were grown. The combination of “soil—light—water—heat” is different for each region, and high-quality wine reflects these characteristics and has a “taste of terroir.” Adherents of biodynamics claim that modern technologies simplify not only the lives of winegrowers, but also the wine itself. Herbicides and synthetic fertilizers affect the soil, weaken the vines, and reduce the quality of the grapes. And winemakers are no longer “helpers of nature” (as the modern biodynamic ideologist Nicolas Joly calls himself), but manipulators who use aromatic yeast and enzymes, practice reverse osmosis (a special type of water purification), chaptalization (adding sugar to the wort to increase the degree) and others “unnatural” things for vinification.

Corbis/Fotosa.ru

Biodynamic farming is essentially an advanced version of organic farming, and it works according to the fashionable “back to nature” principle. The main focus is on improving soil health. Chemicals are prohibited. Manual labor is encouraged.

Then the differences begin, which cause heated debate. The vineyards are fertilized with compost (it is produced here from berry juices) with biodynamic preparations. They are made from manure, quartz, oak bark, chamomile flowers, yarrow, dandelion, nettle and valerian. According to Steiner, these ingredients establish energetic connections between the earth and space. All preparations are first fermented, and in very extravagant ways: in the skulls of domestic animals, the bladder of a deer and other unexpected containers.

The hallmark of biodynamics is a cow's horn stuffed with manure and buried in the ground to absorb the energy of the Universe. The public laughs, but biodynamists believe that in six months it will not be just a foul-smelling “spare part” of a cow, but an energy bomb. It is necessary to spray the vineyards with “spiritualized,” as Steiner put it, manure mixed with rainwater, and the treated area will accumulate life-giving heavenly forces and give a harvest that competitors have never dreamed of.

Mixing drugs with water, or “dynamization,” is another feature of biodynamics that Steiner wrote about in detail. Another specific practice is working on the Moon and stars. It depends on the heavenly bodies whether to prune the vine, pick berries, apply fertilizer, or wait for a more favorable time.

Not all producers of biodynamic wines share Steiner’s philosophy and use only elements of biodynamics. Official science generally refuses serious conversations on this topic, believing that biodynamic undertakings smack of obscurantism. It’s a paradox, but experiments conducted, in particular, at the Swedish Institute of Organic Agriculture, confirm the effectiveness of biodynamic practices. In any case, in the matter of land improvement. The Swedes have found that the introduction of biological products promotes the active colonization of the soil with beneficial microorganisms and makes it more fertile. What plays a big role here, the phases of the moon or simply natural fertilizer and manual labor, scientists are silent.

Differences in opinion make biowine certification difficult. The label “biodynamic” on the bottle and the relatively high price (at least 10% more expensive than others) do not mean that the wine is of high quality. However, many famous winemakers who practice biodynamics produce truly extraordinary products. Among them: Clos de la Coulee de Serrant (Loire Valley), Domaine Zind Humbrecht (Alsace), Domaine Leroy (Burgundy), Hermitage (Rhône Valley), Alvaro Palacios and Dominio de Pingus (Spain), Araujo and Benziger (California), Cullen Wines (Australia). You can also try their wines in Russia - in gastronomic restaurants, at tastings, or by purchasing them in specialized wine stores. Due to their characteristics, including the reduced content of preservatives, these wines often require special storage conditions.

However, labels should not mislead you, experts remind. “The inscription “made from organic grapes” literally means the following: the grapes were grown organically, as evidence of which the manufacturer, as a rule, has an appropriate certificate,” writes John Bonnet, author of the bestseller “Wine with and without rules. The definitive guide for wine lovers". “However, “organic grapes” cannot be automatically equated with “organic wine”: the latter requires a different certificate, which also takes into account production technology - in particular, an almost complete refusal to use sulfur dioxide as a preservative. According to the biodynamic viticulture certificate, the requirements are even more stringent and can only be issued by organizations such as Demeter and Biodyvin, however, more and more winemakers are using biodynamic methods without any certificate. When making certified biodynamic wines, the winemaker must follow strict rules: for example, he cannot technically reduce the alcohol content.”

Translated from Greek, the term biodynamics means “life force.” It is an indisputable fact that life on our planet would be impossible without solar energy, and the influence of the moon and planets of the solar system still remains underestimated. Animals are more susceptible to natural and cosmic rhythms than people, and plants live thanks to them.

What is biodynamics?

Biodynamics is an agricultural philosophy, the peculiarity of which is the attitude towards the Earth as a living organism, as well as the use of technologies for controlling the forces of nature and space to obtain environmentally friendly products of exceptional quality. According to this philosophy, the winemaker lives in complete harmony with nature and the cosmos.

Founder of Biodynamics

The founder of biodynamics is the Austrian Rudolf Steiner, who at the beginning of the 20th century developed a whole theory about the loss of sensory knowledge of nature by modern man. Thus, in the teachings of Dr. Steiner, much was said about the harm caused by the unrestricted use of chemicals, as a result of which the soil and plants lose touch with nature and lose their natural immunity. Such plants are of no benefit to humans because they do not have positive energy. Dr. Steiner and his ideological followers began to preach biodynamic farming, because in order to get a healthy harvest it is necessary to act in harmony with nature and the cosmos, taking into account their cycles, without destroying the balance and increasing the energy of plants by harmonizing the nutritional balance of the earth with natural fertilizers.

In winemaking, the principle of biodynamics began to be applied in the 70s of the 20th century. Biodynamic winemaking has grown significantly in recent years, which is beneficial both for the planet as a whole and for people. The practice of biodynamic winemaking is popular in countries such as France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Canada and the United States.

Features of biodynamic winemaking

Biodynamist winemakers use loosening the soil and sowing certain herbs, thanks to which the activity of certain soil bacteria is activated, thus enhancing the natural vital resistance of grapes to pests and diseases. Biodynamists also use different types of organic composts, cow manure and homeopathic preparations, which undergo a process of dynamization (activation of vital forces) through prolonged stirring. In biodynamics, much attention is paid to the connection of plants with the movement of the planets and the phases of the moon, taking into account the seasonality of which, it is possible to accurately determine what work needs to be done at what time, increasing its efficiency.

Grown in harmony with nature, the strong vine produces high-quality grapes that best reflect the properties of the terroir, the region in which it grew. In biowinemaking, every nuance matters; even when building a biodynamic winery, the angle of incidence of the sun's rays is taken into account. Wine House Grgich Hills Estate, which produces high-quality biodynamic wines, switched entirely to solar photovoltaic panels in 2006, thus benefiting from the same energy that powers their organic, certified organic and biodynamic grapes.

In the production of biodynamic wines, any artificial additives are excluded; natural yeast is used during the fermentation process, for example, for the five-week fermentation of the Grgich Hills Estate Cabernet Sauvignon wine, unique natural yeast is used, which gives the wine an exceptional aroma. When creating Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay, the grapes do not undergo malolactic fermentation, resulting in a lively wine with excellent acidity.

Bio wines are matured in new charred oak barrels. Bottling is carried out only during the waxing moon. It is believed that open organic wine retains its aromatic and taste characteristics much longer.