With the fire published on its site last year, To put an end to biodynamics, the famous Burgundian winemaker Frédéric Mugnier has thrown quite a wrench into the pond. The full-blown attack did not fail to provoke a strong reaction. So what does this central resident who took over the family business in 1985, winemaker of some of the greatest wines of the Côte de Nuit, criticize? Essentially that it would be an esoteric practice without scientific basis, which the followers themselves would struggle to understand. A little explanation is in order.
Replace the plant in a coherent and healthy environment
Biodynamics finds its source in a series of conferences, entitled Courses for farmers, given in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), Austrian polygraphist and champion of anthroposophy – a movement of thought close to nature which considers the world moved by spiritual forces. Without going into details, the agricultural discipline is first and foremost a science of observation, which looks at life as a whole: “It places humans, animals and plants on the same level,” explains Thierry Germain. , from the Roches Neuves estate, in Saumur, in biodynamics for more than twenty years. This observation should allow the winegrower to place the plant in a coherent and healthy, living environment, and to identify its needs as closely as possible. “We must remember that the vine is not intended to produce fruit, underlines Olivier Humbrecht, winegrower in Alsace, converted since 1998 and president of Biodyvin, one of the two certifying bodies in France, with Demeter. that in a state of stress it will produce grapes. The role of biodynamics consists of providing it with the comfort and well-being necessary for it to work in a serene manner.”
On the program, horn dung you silica dung
Support provided in particular by spraying different preparations. Among the most used, horn dung (known as 500) – obtained by the fermentation in the soil, during the winter, of cow dung stuffed in horns – promotes life, the structure of the soil and stimulates root growth. . In addition, that based on silica (501), also introduced into a buried horn, is aimed at the aerial part of the plants: it encourages flowering and photosynthesis, in order to help flowering, fruiting and maturation. . According to the biodynamic method, these two preparations are “dynamized”, that is to say brewed for one hour in lukewarm water at a low dose (100 g of dung for 30 to 50 liters of water, and 4 grams per hectare for silica), before being sprayed in the vines. “These treatments are supplemented by other preparations based on yarrow, chamomile, nettle, dandelion, valerian…” explains Jean-Philippe Bret, from Soufrandière, a reference estate in the Pouilly-Vinzelles appellation. Demeter certified. And to remember that adopting this mode of production only makes sense if it is carried out in a vineyard already operated in biological agriculture. “For me, the results are convincing,” continues the Mâconnais winegrower. At the start of the conversion, my scientific mind pushed me to leave organic control zones to see the difference. In three years, the structure of my cultivated soils in biodynamics changed radically, and the leaf habit was very different.” Respecting the plant also involves abandoning certain methods. “I no longer trim my vines so as not to harm them unnecessarily,” confides Thierry Germain.
The largest estates are switching to biodynamics
But why have all these renowned winegrowers, who seem to have their feet on the ground and their heads on their shoulders, succumbed to a practice that some consider to be scientifically questionable? Could the Domaine de la Romanée Conti, the properties of Gérard Bertrand, the Bordeaux classified growths Pontet-Canet, Palmer, Fonroque, and even La Lagune, all duly certified, be landmarks for the enlightened? Not that easy. “I discovered biodynamics through tasting wines that I really appreciated,” explains Gonzague Lurton, of Château Durfort-Vivens, in Margaux. “They convinced me that it was the best tool for our vineyard. Alain Moueix, from Fonroque [NDLR : pionnier en la matière à Saint-Emilion], was kind enough to support me during the transition. I have applied these precepts in a very pragmatic way since 2009.” And for him too, the results are eloquent: “Not only are the soils regenerating, but the quality of the wines continues to gain in brilliance and precision.” Same sound of bell at Christine Vernay, at the Georges Vernay estate, in Condrieu. This nugget from the northern Rhône was certified Biodyvin this year. “The transition took place very gradually. After arriving on the farm, it took me ten years to convert our 24 hectares to organic cultivation. It is important to take your time, respect nature, understand and observe. Then Thierry Germain took me into biodynamics. Since the start of the conversion, the vines are doing much better.”
Everyone agrees that this approach is above all a philosophy adapted to personal agricultural practice. “We respect all the main principles, but we adjust them to our own needs, recalls Olivier Humbrecht. It is only by frequently going to his vineyards to observe the plant, the soil, the surrounding fauna that everyone decides to apply this or that treatment. Being a biodynamicist is not something for lazy people. You have to work harder than the others, be motivated and accept a financial sacrifice. It costs more in terms of labor and equipment…” Including act.
But what should we do with the legacy of Rudolph Steiner, a controversial figure today, whose thinking influenced the Nazis? What the detractors of his teachings do not hesitate to highlight, sometimes going so far as to speak of sectarian drift? “I haven’t read much of Steiner,” Christine Vernay easily confesses. “And I will always be critical of the extremists of organics and biodynamics, but I don’t consider us to be crazy people, quite the contrary. At Biodyvin, I work alongside very pragmatic winegrowers who have only one ambition: to produce great wines while respecting their terroir.”
And what if, in the end, the justice of the peace resided simply in the pleasure that a good bowling pin provides – or not? Taste and compare, within the same appellation, wines produced biodynamically with their organic or conventional neighbors. The truth lies at the bottom of the glass…
In France, 219 wine estates are certified by Biodyvin and 504 are certified by Demeter.
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