Biodynamic practices bring out vineyard's wild side

And a few of them are digging up cow horns stuffed with manure that were buried through fall and winter, ready to grind them up and create a soil treatment known as Preparation 500.

It’s part of a system of farming called biodynamics — the cow horns get a lot of attention, but most of the practices are about old-fashioned husbandry — and it works, say vintners who use the eco-friendly system.

"What we’re seeing in the vineyards has been very positive,” says Grady Wann, general manager and winemaker at Quivira Vineyards in Northern California’s Sonoma County, which has been using biodynamic farming methods for more than three years.

As with organic farming, biodynamics bans use of artificial pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, and promotes crop and wildlife diversity to keep pest populations in a natural balance — i.e. cover crops attract insects that prey on vine-destroying bugs.

Beyond that, biodynamics views the farming operation as a living, breathing organism that is affected by lunar cycles and planetary alignment as well as seasons and times.

"The No. 1, rock-bottom foundation of biodynamics is really the personal relationship that you make with the land. That’s the biggest difference,” says Mike Benziger, winegrower and general manager of the Benziger Family Winery in Sonoma Valley.

Based on the writings of an Austrian philosopher named Rudolf Steiner, biodynamics goes back more than 80 years and is viewed by practicers as a forerunner, rather than an offshoot, of the organic farming revival of the ’70s.

What gives biodynamics its "out there” vibe are things like "Preparation 500,” the springtime vineyard spray made from the manure-stuffed cow horns, buried over fall and winter, then ground up and mixed with water.

"Preparation 501” a mixture made from a cow horn stuffed with silica is buried over spring and summer, mixed in a similar fashion and applied in fall to make the vineyards more receptive to light and warmth.

Wann, who has a doctorate in organic chemistry, can understand the skepticism biodynamics sometimes inspires; he felt the same way at first.

But he’s become convinced something good is going on in the vineyards, although he notes it’s hard to say how much of that is due to the various mixtures and how much to the way the system forces growers to be in touch with the vines.

"All I know is the system that’s been in place for the last three years has produced pretty dramatic results,” Wann says.

Quivira and Benziger are certified as biodynamic by Philomath, Ore.-based Demeter Association, a nonprofit biodynamics organization which has certified about 80 farming operations nationally, says Demeter director Jim Fulmer. Biodynamics isn’t limited to vineyards, although the methods do suit that type of agriculture, he says.

Benziger’s route to biodynamics started in 1996 when he was researching organic farming methods.

"I got hooked because I saw that, on one hand, you could create a healthier environment, but on the other hand, you could make really unique and authentic products,” he says.

Being biodynamic means choosing properties very carefully and scrutinizing plants for early signs of trouble. "We don’t have silver bullets. We don’t have the ability to use any chemicals,” notes Benziger.

To fight pests without chemicals, he keeps his property diverse, not just growing grapes but having other crops such as olives as well as wetlands, grasslands and gardens designed to attract beneficial insects.

In the cellar, biodynamics means not manipulating the wine, although winemakers may add a small amount of sulfites to prevent spoilage. In Benziger’s caves, squares are cut into the floors exposing the gravel beneath so wines remain in touch with the natural cycles of the Earth.

The result is "something that’s completely true and authentic,” says Benziger, offering as an example a pour of his highly rated "Tribute,” a rich, dark, red blend.

Biodynamic winemakers will be putting their theories to the taste test April 3 in San Francisco with a one-day Biodynamics Forum dedicated to biodynamics in wine.

Andrew Walker, a professor of viticulture at the University of California, Davis, isn’t aware of much research proving that biodynamics does or doesn’t work. But although there are some "pretty zany things involved,” he sees biodynamics as an interesting perspective.

"Overall,” he says, "it’s a technique to grow grapes that’s attendant on very careful attention to your vines, which can’t be a bad thing.”<