JH02JLH
Active member
I have been really enjoying Peter Kerr's books about his fruit farm in Mallorca (see reviews under the book forum) but also his account of growing up on his grandfather's farm in Scotland.
One thing kept cropping up though and that was the way the Scottish farm was run long ago by following the movements of the planets with every day put aside for a particular job.
This method is also mentioned when he talks to the local farmers in Mallorca and is known as Biodynamic. It is now making a fashionable comeback in farming as well as in wine.
We have all heard of organic wines but biodynamic wines are one step further on from that! A biodynamic vineyard is run in total harmony with the natural world and all compost, manure and feedstuffs are produced by the vineyard itself with no outside chemicals or sprays being used.
For example the Bonterra Vineyards plant plum trees around the edge of the vineyards to attract Anagrus wasps which eat the extremely destructive vine leafhoppers.
Biodynamic vineyards watch the stars and the earth's cycle, with each day of the year representing particular jobs such as harvesting and pruning (harvesting completed in a waxing moon wheras pruning is done in a waning moon).
Whether there is any difference in the wines is down to personal taste but there will be more and more of organic and biodynamic wines appearing on our shelves.
One good thing though - apparently headaches are rarer with these wines! So go ahead and enjoy!
For more info see :
www.biodynamic.org.uk
Happy drinking!
Jane
One thing kept cropping up though and that was the way the Scottish farm was run long ago by following the movements of the planets with every day put aside for a particular job.
This method is also mentioned when he talks to the local farmers in Mallorca and is known as Biodynamic. It is now making a fashionable comeback in farming as well as in wine.
We have all heard of organic wines but biodynamic wines are one step further on from that! A biodynamic vineyard is run in total harmony with the natural world and all compost, manure and feedstuffs are produced by the vineyard itself with no outside chemicals or sprays being used.
For example the Bonterra Vineyards plant plum trees around the edge of the vineyards to attract Anagrus wasps which eat the extremely destructive vine leafhoppers.
Biodynamic vineyards watch the stars and the earth's cycle, with each day of the year representing particular jobs such as harvesting and pruning (harvesting completed in a waxing moon wheras pruning is done in a waning moon).
Whether there is any difference in the wines is down to personal taste but there will be more and more of organic and biodynamic wines appearing on our shelves.
One good thing though - apparently headaches are rarer with these wines! So go ahead and enjoy!
For more info see :
www.biodynamic.org.uk
Happy drinking!
Jane
