Biodynamics in Alsace

Alsace proves fertile ground for biodynamics, both environmentally and philosophically.

by William Zacharkiw

I was chatting with winemaker André Ostertag next to his vegetable garden in his vineyard in Epfig in Alsace in north-eastern France. It was mid-May, everything was green, the vines were in flower and a cool northerly breeze refreshed us after a week of 35˚ C heat. We were discussing how his vision of biodynamics had evolved since we had last seen each other three years ago.
He suddenly stopped talking and, with a note of frustration in his voice, said, "You know, when I go to Japan and I explain what I am doing, they get it immediately. Most North Americans just think we are crazy."

I must admit that, even though I'm very sympathetic to it, biodynamics can give the left side of the brain a bit of a workout. The biodynamic approach to grape growing, which takes organics and adds to it principles as diverse as permaculture, astrology and homeopathy, has become one of the more controversial issues within the wine industry. Skeptics see it as an incredible waste of time and money. Others view it as pure quackery, an affront to science and modern thinking.

But what began in the early 1990s has developed into a movement whose practitioners include some of the world's best winemakers, producing some of the world's most unique wines. Many are their respective region's best producers, and the list of those wineries that are either biodynamic or in the process of converting is impressive: Pingus and Clos Martinet in Spain, Clos Jordanne in Niagara, Joseph Phelps and Opus One in California, Castagna in Australia and Oregon's Beaux Frères.

French adherents include the Rhône's Chapoutier, Burgundy's Domaine Leroy, Comte Armand and Leflaive. In the Loire, there is Muscadet's l'Ecu, Nicolas Joly and Domaine Huet. Other high-end producers, such as Drouhin and Romanée-Conti, have parts of their vineyards farmed biodynamically.

But there is one region that surpasses all others in terms of sheer number of biodynamic wineries, and it is considered by many the spiritual home of the movement: Alsace. The list is a who's who of the region's best: Domaine Marcel Deiss, Zind-Humbrecht, Weinbach, René Muré, Kraydenweiss, Bott-Geyl, Pierre Frick, Josmeyer, Rolly Gassmann and Ostertag, to name but a few. In all, more than 30 different French wineries are biodynamic.

So why is Alsace such fertile ground for biodynamics? The reasons are rooted in the region's cultural and political history, and how these influences manifest themselves today are as complicated as biodynamics itself. But first, what exactly is biodynamic agriculture?

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