Moon Days

originally posted by maureen:
I bought several copies of "When Wine Tastes Best 2010 - A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers" by Maria Thun, Matthias K. Thun from Steiner Books - gave some away as gifts as a bit of a joke - but guess what - so far it's pretty accurate in predicting whether wines will show well. So....

Unbelievable. So if you conclude that it helps, you'll have to buy a new edition every year? And I'd have to get a different one, since it must be different for the southern hemisphere... Help!
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by maureen:
I bought several copies of "When Wine Tastes Best 2010 - A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers" by Maria Thun, Matthias K. Thun from Steiner Books - gave some away as gifts as a bit of a joke - but guess what - so far it's pretty accurate in predicting whether wines will show well. So....

Unbelievable. So if you conclude that it helps, you'll have to buy a new edition every year? And I'd have to get a different one, since it must be different for the southern hemisphere... Help!
It's the same for the Southern hemisphere unless you're transplanting.
 
I've seen BD calendars that were purportedly specific for: Europe, North America, Asia (northen hemisphere), and the Antipodes.
When I've compared them in any given year they're all slightly different.

Can't say that I understand why they were different, nor did I try to verify if this is in line with the actual movements of the celestial bodies as viewed from different points around the globe.
But, yes.... BD calendars are apparently site specific.
 
well, yes, one would have to buy a new one each year - but they are small and inexpensive - and they use GMT and one converts depending on where you live - but I'll have to check to see if it addresses being in the southern hemisphere.
 
originally posted by maureen:
well, yes, one would have to buy a new one each year - but they are small and inexpensive - and they use GMT and one converts depending on where you live - but I'll have to check to see if it addresses being in the southern hemisphere.

Thanks, let me know. I need to lose a pound or two, which has been difficult, having wine every single evening. I'll go on a BD diet and not drink on nights when the wines are destined to show poorly. Se non vero, ben trovato.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by maureen:
well, yes, one would have to buy a new one each year - but they are small and inexpensive - and they use GMT and one converts depending on where you live - but I'll have to check to see if it addresses being in the southern hemisphere.

Thanks, let me know. I need to lose a pound or two, which has been difficult, having wine every single evening. I'll go on a BD diet and not drink on nights when the wines are destined to show poorly. Se non vero, ben trovato.
Another fad diet, we can write a book and cash in.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
originally posted by Ned Hoey:
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
most, but not all, producers who switch to biodynamie really do get an improvement in their wine.

But switch from what? Conventional farming? Lutte raisone? Sustainable? Lowly generic 'organic'?
Organic farmers can not follow the Steiner program but still follow lunar phases. While organic is not a narrowly defined term and BD is, I think it's wrong for so many to automatically assume that BD is
the highest form of organic.

Claude, I acknowledge that you're just the messenger and my questions aren't directed at you. I pose them generally.
Ned -- Obviously the greatest difference one sees in the conversion from conventional farming.

Aubert de Villaine ran experiments at Domaine de la Romane-Conti for many years comparing organic and biodynamic and said that he saw little difference. The estate has now converted fully to biodynamic; Aubert told me that it was because it was more expensive to run a split operation than an entirely biodynamic one not because he believed in the superiority of biodynamie, although others have reported that he was convinced by its superiority.

Some others who have been organic for a long time and converted to biodynamie, such as Clemens Busch, have also told me that they saw little difference and that they are convinced that the major change is from conventional farming to organic, whether biodynamic or not.

What bothers me about the way this is discussed is that non specific and infinitely variable organic techniques are compared to the very specifically defined biodynamie. Any particular grower may be a brilliant organic farmer, doing things his way. While other ones may be somewhat inept or lackadaisical. So, there is going to be variable results among various growers being organic in unique ways and who then have unique and variable paths in the cellar.

I think the explanation for European producers choosing to commit to BD boils down to BDs brand recognition. There is simply more marketing advantage to going BD, and since the results aren't conclusively different, it's a net gain with no loss. DRC may not need the gain, but if there is any sort of competitive aspect, DRC can show that they are as uncompromising as anybody else.

Something I wonder about which I don't see mentioned is the efficacy of BDs specific practices across any and all terroirs. It may be that I'm not knowledgeable enough and BD proscribes different applications for different terroirs. But if not, then I find that kinda odd. I would think that different sites would call for different treatments.

It's all so anecdotal, it's hard to have much confidence in what is reported.

This isn't to say I'm anti BD or moon units or orgasmatronics, I'm in favor of all of them. I just wish
there was better research available.
 
Some producers may go BD for brand recognition (although it's a lot of work to go through for that), but others in fact specifically ask that their BD practice not be mentioned -- they want their wines to be judged for what they are and not for the policy followed in making them.

Add on edit -- not all approaches to BD are the same. There's quite a difference between the mystical orthodoxy of Joly and the pragmatic approach of Pinguet (Hut).
 
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