Biodynamic Wine Growing

Biodynamic Wine Growing: Understanding the Vine and Its Rhythms

Wine growers are converting to biodynamic viticulture in record numbers. Some of the world’s best wines today are produced using biodynamic methods. At its heart, biodynamic viticulture is about understanding the nature of vines and their relationship to the environment. This beautifully illustrated and informative book will be of interest to both current biodynamic wine growers and those who are considering conversion to the use of biodynamic methods.

The book includes an introduction to the theory of biodynamic viticulture and the Goethean method of observation in relation to vines; practical articles on various aspects of wine growing, including biodiversity, pruning, and treating and preventing diseases; and case studies of biodynamic vineyards around the world.

Biodynamic wine expert Jean-Michel Florin has gathered contributions from several biodynamic viticulturists to create a beautiful, full-color book that is both a celebration of sustainable wine growing and an invaluable guide to the future of wine cultivation.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction

Part 1 – A Goethean Approach
1. The Archetypal Plant (Jean-Michel Florin)
2. The Vine (Jean-Michel Florin)

Part 2 – A New Impulse
3. Pathogenesis: The Grape Louse Plague (Georg Meissner)
4. Salutogenesis: Restoring the Vine to Health (Georg Meissner)

Part 3 – A Viticulture that Respects the Vine’s True Nature
5. The Agricultural Organism (Jean-Michel Florin)
6. From Grapevine Monoculture to a Diverse Vineyard (Werner Michlits)
7. Undersowing Vines in Organic Viticulture (Matthias Wolff)
8. Biodynamic Vineyards at Work (Colin Ross)

Part 4 – How to Make the Vine Stronger
9.Manure (Jean-Michel Florin)
10.Esca: a Grapevine Trunk Disease (Florian Bassini)
11.Fungal Diseases  (Jean-Michel Florin)
12. The Nature of Sulfur (Marc Follmer)
13. The Nature of Copper (Marc Follmer)
14. Pruning to Reflect the Vine’s Nature (Hans-Christian Zehnter)
15. Gentle Pruning to Prevent Wood Disease (François Dal)
16. The Vine Nursery: Training the Breeder’s Eye (Jean-Michel Florin)
17. Regenerative Grafting (François Dal)
18.Growing Points (Jean-Michel Florin)

Part 5 – The Future of the Vine
19. Wine Gold (Hans-Christian Zehnter)
20. Developments in Apple Breeding: a Possibility for the Vine (Nikolaus Bolliger)
21.The Future of Wine: Working with a Creative Tension (Jean-Michel Florin)

Acknowledgements
Picture Credits
Contributors
Biodynamic Associations
Notes
Further Reading
Index

About the Author

Jean-Michel Florin was born in 1961 in Alsace, France, where he has been the coordinator of Le mouvement d’agriculture bio-dynamique (MABD) since 1988 and co-leader of the Biodynamic Section at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, since 2010. He lectures and leads training courses in biodynamics and Goethean science in many countries and is the author of numerous articles on biodynamics and related subjects.