Dear Customers

The worst people are the converted. This saying of my father’s went through my mind as I once again visited a number of excellent wine producers in Burgundy and heard with what conviction they spoke about biodynamic production methods. Only a few years ago their soil was declared to be deader than the soil in the Sahara, because of their shameless use of herbicides. Now the very same “proprietaires” worry about the banana skins thrown away by careless tourists because if these come from genetically modified fruit, they could possibly affect the whole terroir.

But as well as cervelats truffées, andouillettes, moutarde de Dijon and several bottles of wine which I carried home I must also have taken a grain of burgundian doubt with me. Because shortly afterwards, after a perfect summer day as the expressionist colours of houses and plants were covered by an evening blue haze, and as I could have peeled off the working gear of a crop sprayer, happy because the spraying was a success and the plants reliably protected from fungus for the next ten days, my considering gaze fell on the heap of empty product boxes which bore such euphemistic names as Melody, Prosper or Cyrano. The fact that I had just spread quite a respectable amount of these products over my 6 hectares and didn’t exactly know what the effect of all this would eventually be in the soil and on the grapes, remained with me as a light reproach. To ease my conscience I registered for a course on biodynamic wine growing. I knew that organic wine growing scorned synthetic fertilisers and sprays. Only natural substances like ricinus husks, bonemeal, talcum, and clay etc may be used. To these belong old but not unproblematic acquaintances like copper and sulphur. The first of these sinks into the vineyard soil over the years until the state orders it to be destroyed as hazardous waste. A high concentration of sulphur is poison for certain beneficial organisms. Biological farming is widened by biodynamic methods such as homeopathy and anthroposophy. According to the idea of homeopathy, substances are diluted so much that no molecule of the original substance is present. Through stages of dilution and shaking the qualities of the original product should be given to the water molecules; thus comes the expression “the memory of water”. I did not get a clear answer to my question as to whether the original product could not simply be sprayed directly, thus eliminating the whole complicated process of dilution. Possibly the time factor has a meaning in this awkward method of preparation. I could also imagine that the mantra of the long stirring has an effect on the mood of the maker. As I understand it, anthroposophy wants to bring into harmony the material world and the spiritual world. Homeopathically diluted essences made out of cow dung kept in deer heads and cow horns are supposed to be growth stimulators and dilutions of crushed quartz crystals are regarded as light collectors. As in the ancient farmers’ lore the course of the planets should determine the time of the work in the field and in the cellar. Since ancient times every planet is said to have its own particular energy. I was especially interested of course in the “new” planets:

Planet / Year of discovery / Energy
Uranus / 1791 / electricity
Neptune / 1846 / electromagnetics
Pluto / 1930 / radioactivity

In particular the significance of Pluto could become interesting, because his rank as a planet was controversial from the beginning and only recently an even larger lump of ice was discovered on a similar orbit.

“I sit here as a doubter, not because I believe in nothing, but because I consider all is possible”. This quotation from Thomas Mann was dear to a cousin of mine and I felt very similar after four days of biodynamics. So I got an anthropologist to calculate for me the best and worst planting times this spring. In five blocks each of ten examples we planted the same vine at the worst and best times and are waiting expectantly to see how they develop under their different stars! I noticed an unexpected change in myself; suddenly I found it easier to spend money on compost than on a new tractor.

Last summer was a mildew summer such as I have hardly ever experienced. In my perplexity I even had to use copper once again. Autumn was then something for gamblers. Whoever had the nerves to wait was rewarded with a high sugar content. It seems to me that the new wines are very typical of their types, especially the Pinot noirs and the Sauvignon blanc. This has tasting notes of blackcurrant and elderflowers. But like all white wine it is light and heat sensitive. Direct sunlight and temperatures of over 20 degrees should be avoided.

As always our cellar is open from 9 o’clock to 2 o’clock on Saturdays from June to September. If you want to visit me at some other time, please telephone beforehand. Telephone: 071 622 54 07. Fax: 071 622 76 07.

For customers in Southern Germany our wine is sold by the firm Bär:

Weinbär
Weinhandlung Bär
Bahnhofstrasse 18
D – 88069 Tettnang
Telephone: 07542 5393-0
Fax:07542 539322

Of course we send our wine by post or Cargo Domizil. Please don’t forget to put your address on the order form.

By the way, we always have used barrels to sell.