Wine from Sky to Earth: Growing & Appreciating Biodynamic Wine

Rating:
Summary: beware pseudo-science
Review: there is no doubt that the technologies that science has facilitated now pose a great risk to the well being of the planet. there is even less doubt that practitioners of science in its various fields often still have a conquistador-like, and very arrogant approach to the so called natural world. but these are not criticisms against the scientific method which is the very core of science, but against the practitioners of the method and the irresponsible uses of the products of the method. if the humans and other animals are to survive and do so healthily, then the practice of science must change. the method itself, which is simply that hypotheses about the natural world should be verifiable repeatedly through experimentation, should not change. it is a worthy method which by its very logic can not help but to stomp out superstition and pseudo-science. unfortunately superstitions and cultural hot-air are powerful forces, and the scientific method has not been anywhere near successful enough in its endeavors. there is a today a dangerous tendency towards luditism and mysticism as a form of resistance to the perceived threat of "science". this kind of resistance can only FAIL. it will fail because the less one knows about the processes which are currently shaping the world the less one has any real power to change those processes, and the more one will be at the mercy of those who master them.

i bought this book for my wife who is a trained viticulturist because i thought that the term biodynamic meant, a holistic agriculture based on organic principles, and the encouragement of a heterogeneous ecosystem with few inputs (fertiliser, hebicide, pesticides, etc) as opposed to a monoculture which is only barely survives on account of constant artificial input from the farmer. to be fair to joly, it does in fact mean these things, however, and note carefully, all of this can be found in what is usually called "organic" agriculture. joly's book, instead of being based on experimental science and reasoning, is based primarily on the work of rudolf steiner. in fact the book is dedicated to steiner, there is an appendix dedicated to him in the back of the book, and even an appendix dedicated solely to rudolf steiner schools! these odd appendices as well as some rather mediaeval comments made by joly led me to do a bit of research online, but before i get to that let me share a quote from the book:

from 'The Four Realms', page 28

"... The answers are primarily connected to an understanding of the four realms which surround us: mineral, vegetable, animal and human ... Above the three realms is man, who stands erect, in vertical, not to be confused with that of the monkey some people claim we are descended from. No, on the contrary, man's ability to stand erect gives him autonomy, permits him to say "I" with complete liberty, and to have a face that is always different. Only the physical aspects justifies a comparison between man and the monkey "molded" into its race. The hypothesis of the miraculous gene, which would have allowed this mutation, remains unsubstantiated. But this analysis reflects the sickness of our era, during which man, no longer understanding the origin of life, prefers to pay attention to it's manifestations. Wisdom would direct us to take the opposite road."

aside from being poorly written, the above passage shows an incredible backwardness in thinking and ignorance of modern genetics. we are told that we should take the "opposite road" than to look at the actual manifestations of physical life. i.e. in order for such an outlandish hypothesis as evolutionary theory to be true it would need to be manifest in a world other than the physical world, and even if such a thing were to be true in the physical world it would need to be explained by a miracle, a "miraculous gene". this kind of thinking pervades the anthroposophical literature which confuses spiritual banter for scientific thinking. (just to be clear on this, i'm no fanatic, i.e. if joly wants to show me in the physical world why evolution is wrong headed i'll be glad to listen, it is after all just a theory, but it is based on the investigation of nature and not on a religious cosmogeny).

furthermore the idea that man stands above the rest of the natural world, distinct from the animal and vegetable "realms" is precisely the cancer of times past which currently afflicts the sciences (agriculture included) today, and which leads to the frightful abuse of technology we now see around us.

because of lack of space i would strongly advise the reader of this review to do a bit of online research on rudolf steiner and the anthroposophist religion. suffice it to say that rudolf steiner believed in atlantis, reincarnation, that white people and christianity represent the spiritual apex of human development, and that science should allow for supernatural revelations as bona fide experimental results, etc etc... another very disquieting fact is that the standards bodies which certify "biodynamic" vineyards and even the steiner schools (the teachers are trained in anthroposphy by reading steiner's works, but the schools are presented to the public as secular) are closely tied to the anthroposophical movement which is, put frankly, a cult.

that the current approach to agriculture is for the most part an interventionist and arrogant one there is no doubt, joly recognizes this and offers some practical advice which brings natural cycles to bear. for instance he talks about the sun, moon and tides. unfortunately these kinds of observations, which seem like common sense to me (after all the moon is a large body with gravitational and electromagnetic effects which can simply not be ignored), for some strange reason would likely be rejected by many scientists. if you can bare to wade through the voodoo there are a few points to ponder in this little volume. there is also some (hearsay) evidence that using so called 'biodynamic' preparations has positive effects on the soil and life of the vineyard, these should also be properly investigated.

the biggest problem that faces humanity today is that there is a great deal of wisdom from times past which is being ignored by a blind and arrogant science. rudolf steiner and the anthroposophical method (if it can be called that) do NOT offer a solution, they can only further muddy the waters. what science needs to do very desperately is to look at ancient agricultural practices, and to do so using the scientific method in order to sort the wheat from the chaff. i doubt very much that rudolf steiner and his ilk are needed as a medium for this endeavor.

unless you are looking for a religious guide to growing grapes, or are just curious to see what 21st century pseudo-science looks like, i would advise looking into books on just plain organic viticulture instead, and going straight to the sources for knowledge of ancient agricultural practices.

Rating:
Summary: Caring for the wine AND the soil
Review: This is a great book for both, laymen and wine experts, on biodynamic winemaking. Nicolas Joly explains in a very simple way, why it is worth using all our senses at winemaking. Biodynamics respects nature's peculiarities in a positive sense and thus helps the vine to incorporate these specific characteristics into the wine. The origin of the so called "denominacion d'origine controlee". If all farmers, not only wine growers could respect their most cherrished input, the soil, as biodinamic wine growers do, what a wonderful world this would be! No more instransparent subsidies from States to the agribusinesses, no more hunger, and less diseases in the world.Bravo Nicolas! Welcome good wine, great wine.