The Biggest Biodynamic Wine Tasting of the Year!

I recently attended a great Biodynamic wine tasting in New York City on February 23rd 2009. I was fortunate to have a one on one conversation with Nicolas Joly, the pioneer in the Biodynamic World.

Nicolas did a great talk on manure and animals on the farm. The way he explained it was to analyze each animal. For instance the pig eats from the ground so the pigs manure is needed to strengthen the plants roots. A horse will eat leaves, so the manure from a horse will aid in the plants leaves. He even went to explain the behavior of such animals as well. A cow is slow moving and calm. So the cow's manure will contribute to long gently change on a farm.

Nicolas was very passionate that the good and bad organisms must live in harmony on the farm. And healthy environment will keep everything in balance including the bad organisms.

To me this sounds like how I look at my body. So I asked do you treat your body on the same level as your farm. As I thought, he explained that the body works just as the farm.

Return to Terroir/Renaissance des Appellations is a group founded by Nicolas Joly in 2001. All the participating wine-growers recognize that the relationship between soil and climate has a different "face" everywhere on earth and strive to express the unique characteristics of their special terroirs. The group adheres to a strict Quality Charter concerning vineyard and cellar practices. The members of Return to Terroir/Renaissance des Appellations have applied biodynamic or organic vineyard practices on their entire domaines for at least 3 years - organic or biodynamic certification is required - and the exceptional quality of their wines meets the standards set by the founder and the directors of the group (N. Joly, O. Humbrecht, D. Léclapart, A.-C. Leflaive, P. Morey, Ph. du Roy de Blicquy, Raimond de Villeneuve).

WINEGROWERS

AUSTRIA
Nikolaihof Wachau
Weingut Geyerhof
Meinklang
Weingut Schoenberger

AUSTRALIA
Castagna Vineyard
Ngeringa Vineyard

FRANCE

Alsace
Domaine Marcel Deiss
Domaine Zind Humbrecht
Domaine Martin Schaetzel
Domaine Marc Tempé
Domaine Ostertag
Domaine Kreydenweiss
Domaine Josmeyer
Domaine Valentin Zusslin

Bordeaux
Château Le Puy
Château Fonroque
Château Moulin du Cadet
Château Falfas
Château La Grolet - Château Peybonhomme

Bourgogne
Domaine Derain
Domaine de Villaine
Domaine Montchovet
Domaine Leflaive
Domaine Morey
Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot

Champagne
Champagne Bedel
Champagne Fleury

Jura
Domaine André et Mireille Tissot

Languedoc - Roussillon
Domaine du Traginer
Domaine Cazes
Domaine Beauthorey

Loire
Château Tour Grise
Coulée de Serrant
Domaine Saint-Nicolas
Domaine Mosse
Domaine des Sablonnettes
Domaine Cousin-Leduc

Provence
Château Sainte Anne
Château Romanin
Domaine Hauvette
Domaine de Trevallon
Domaine Milan

Rhone
Domaine du Coulet
Domaine de Villeneuve
Clos du Joncuas
Domaine Pierre André
Montirius
Maison Chapoutier
Domaine les Aphillantes

Sud Ouest
Domaine du Pech
Domaine de Souch

GERMANY
Weingut Wittman

ITALY
Agricola dei Tre Poggi
Cosimo Maria Masini
Loacker Tenute
Az. Agr. Campinuovi
Montesecondo
Cascina Degli Ulivi
Tenuta di Valgiano
Podere Concori

NEW ZEALAND
The Millton Vineyard

PORTUGAL
Quinta de Covela

SLOVENIA
Movia

SOUTH AMERICA
Vina Antiyal
Vinedos Santa Emiliana

SPAIN
Albet i Noya
Compañia de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez
Dominio de Pingus
Mas Estela

UNITED STATES
Benziger Family Winery
Frog's Leap Winery
Bonterra McNab Ranch
Paul Dolan Vineyards
Tres Sabores
Coturri Winery
Robert Sinskey Vineyards
Cayuse Vineyard