Images Courtesy of Vivino
Research suggests today’s wine drinker cares about sustainability. According to an analysis by the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR), a drinks market insights company, nearly half of American consumers say they were more inclined to purchase wines in 2022 that had “sustainability or environmental initiatives.”
Beyond purchasing wines that follow trendy terms like organic or natural, one common wine term grouped in with sustainability is biodynamic. But what does biodynamic wine really mean? How is biodynamic wine different than organic? How can you tell if the wine you’re purchasing is biodynamic?
To help understand this category and make greener purchases, we pulled together some of our favorite biodynamic wines and answered some common questions about the category.
What Is Biodynamic Wine?
Biodynamic wine producers focus on more than just the vines. They have a philosophy that their vineyard is one functioning organism and aim to maintain their farms with minimal reliance on imported goods. Instead, they have everything they need coming from the farm itself.
They often have animals on the farm to produce manure and compost, grow cover crops and protect insect communities along with many other practices (which you can check out here). They also follow a lunar calendar, which tells them when to prune, plant, harvest and treat the vineyard, as well as when to open and taste wine.
