Winemakers are particularly partial to terroir— those unique environmental qualities, from soil composition to climate, that determine the character of a vineyard and in turn, the wine. The elaborate French appellation contrôlée system, now modified and used by most wine-producing countries, places a premium upon this natural environment, viewing it as a living organism.

But a conundrum has developed in the past 50 years or so. If this sacred terroir is adulterated every year with synthetic fertilizer, fungicides and insecticides, are
winemakers truly working with the land that Mother Nature created? Of equal interest are issues of residual chemical buildup, toxins and soil depletion—all results of man’s manipulation of the land. Such are the arguments for exploring alternative farming methods in vineyards around the world.

Enter an ever-expanding group of wine grape growers, divorcing themselves from the widespread use of agrichemicals and adopting practices that sustain, rather than exhaust these vineyard sites. Involvement in the new thinking runs the gamut from informal—uncertified organic grape farming—to the most intricate level of commitment—biodynamic agriculture.

Biodynamic farming may be considered the ultimate form of organic agriculture. Viewing the earth holistically, biodynamic farmers seek to heal the land through life forces at work in nature and by replacing harmful chemicals with more natural products like manure and vegetation. These farmers understand and use these forces, such as moon phases and planet positioning, so that the earth can be mended and life can be improved and sustained.

Rudolph Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and scientist, is considered the father of biodynamics. In the 1920s, he wrote a book on the subject, An Introduction To Biodynamic Agriculture. Today, Steiner’s practitioners, from Europe to South America, use special preparations, often considered bizarre or eccentric by many farmers, which are applied in harmony with cosmic rhythms to carefully husband the earth.

Paul Dolan, president of Fetzer Vineyards and proponent of sustainable, organic
and biodynamic agriculture, views wine as an interaction between land and environment.
Fetzer Vineyards now contain over 2,000 acres of certified organic grapes.

Putting A Label On Organic
Paul Dolan, the energetic and enterprising president of Fetzer Vineyards has
taken sustainable agriculture to its highest level. With his belief that, "wine is a
product of the land, and that wine production itself is an interactive conversation
with the land and environment in which the wine is grown and the wine is made."
Dolan met Barney Fetzer in 1976 and the two-man team, with only a dream and
boundless energy, turned a rundown ranch in Mendocino County, Calif., into a
trendsetting example for the global wine industry. The 1984 purchase of Valley
Oaks Ranch, near Hopland, was a turning point for Fetzer and Paul Dolan. The
barns and other buildings on the property were converted into a food and wine
education center for the winery.

Organic guru Michael Maltas was recruited to design and plant an organic garden
on the property. Additionally, 21 acres of vines were planted on the ranch. As the
gardens matured, the resulting veggies, fruits and herbs were a testament to the
vitality of the terroir and expressed a depth of flavors and intensities that only
organics can produce.

"While developing our organic gardens at Valley Oaks in Hopland, we saw the
immediate taste differences and clear health benefits from the fruit and vegetables
coming from our garden," says Dolan. "We simply put these same principles to
work inside our vineyards." With his staccato-like enthusiasm, Dolan proudly
relates that, "both the McNab and Butler Ranch sites at our sister property
Bonterra Vineyards are certified biodynamic."

Fetzer now farms over 2,000 vineyard acres of certified organically grown grapes,
making it the unchallenged leader in the United States. And Dr. Ann Thrupp, Ph.D., has joined Fetzer as manager of organic development. But how does his garden grow, you ask? Today the vineyards are healthy, and the garden—under the watchful eye of Kate Frey—boasts over 1,000 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers. The property has evolved to include not only the gardens but a tasting room, Garden Café and a bed-and-breakfast—plus a lot of peace and quiet. Few wine-related locations or experiences will rival a visit to Valley Oaks Ranch. In the tranquility of the ranch you can stroll through the vineyards and organic gardens and later taste wonderful wines and enjoy great food—all organic of course, and all from local vineyards and gardens. You will discover, as did Paul Dolan, that organic food and wine have wonderful flavors and faithfully represent their sense of place.

Today, 45 years have passed, Barney Fetzer has gone to his reward, and Barney’s 11 children have sold the company to Brown-Forman Corp. But venerable winemaker Paul Dolan is still at the helm as president and managing director, and to that list of job descriptions, he also can add author. In his recently published book True to Our Roots—Fermenting a Business Revolution, Dolan recounts how his involvement in sustainable agriculture has led him to make sustainable commerce the cornerstone of Fetzer’s business principles. This inspirational leadership manifesto details six principles that enhance the bottom line. He enlists and empowers every employee as stewards of the company, the community and the environment. But in the wine business, the true proof is in the bottle— something that Fetzer and Bonterra seem to have managed rather well.

A Pioneering Vision
Nicolas Joly spent his childhood and adolescence in France enamored by nature. The world’s leading proponent of biodynamic farming, Joly grew up attentive to the calls of wild outdoors. "My brother and I spent our time tracking game, watching for fish and watching the sky. Each burst of wind, each drop in temperature permitted us, according to the seasons, to make a choice of future expeditions," he says.

Brilliantly intellectual and a mesmerizing storyteller, Joly possesses a sparkling sense of humor. And before being totally committed to this sometimes controversial agricultural method, Joly experienced a bit of city life, which ironically pushed him back to his roots—and to making incredible wine.



Joly received his MBA from Columbia University in New York, spent one year in Montreal at the Ministry of Finance and, finally, worked two years in New York at Morgan Guaranty, a trust company. After his stint at Morgan, says Joly, "I could not take it anymore. I had to return to the country. In my last days at Morgan, I was studying how to make goat cheese in my free time." He returned to Coulée de Serrant, the Joly family’s Loire Valley vineyard since 1959.

Joly’s return to Coulée de Serrant was an epiphany for him. On the advice of agricultural officials and local vignerons, he applied chemical fertilizers and weed killers to the land. And in two years’ time, Joly witnessed the earth changing color and beginning to die. "I saw the [awful] effect and then fate put in my hand [Rudolph Steiner’s] book on biodynamie," he recalls. "I had not a clue who Rudolf Steiner was and thought, ‘this very smart man died unknown.’ I decided to try to make it known and return the vineyards to their virtue of originality."

The Vine Makes The Wine
While committed to the concept of appellation contrôlée, Joly believes that today’s wine is more the creation of technology than the descendent of the original appellation, or vineyard site. He abhors the word “winemaker;” it is the vine that makes the wine, not man. He also is adamant about leaving the wine on the lees, since "the lees are overflowing with vital elements which prolong the reality of the year." He believes the concept of re-yeasting is wrong, since the natural yeasts bear the climatic profile of the year.

When under full sail, Joly can talk about biodynamie for days, as he often does at seminars that he hosts worldwide. Joly also has written a riveting book about growing and appreciating biodynamic wine, Wine from Sky to Earth. In this book, his words flow like the wonderful Chenin Blanc wine that comes from Joly’s Coulée de Serrant at Savennières. When all is said and done, however, the product of biodynamic farming must support the practice. For his effort, Joly has been justly rewarded. His wines are some of the most touted and respected in the world.

Baby Steps
Much like Nicolas Joly, Alvaro Espinoza’s introduction to biodynamic farming came in the form of Rudolph Steiner’s book, An Introduction To Biodynamic Agriculture. But before going full-fledged biodynamic, Espinoza was committed to sustainable viticulture, similar to the Dolan school of organic agriculture. The seeds of his development were planted, at least philosophically, at Viña Carmen in Chile.

Carmen, founded in 1850, has evolved through the years with new owners and recently, with a mission to internationalize the brand. New vineyards have been planted and a state-of-the-art winery now sits at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Much of the more-recent progress can be credited to Espinoza, Carmen’s winemaker for eight years. Visits to the United States and California provided Espinoza with the inspiration to implement organic—and later biodynamic—viticulture in Chile.

During the time that Fetzer was developing Bonterra as a separate brand to showcase organic wine, Espinoza spent several months working with the viticulture team there. It was an exciting time, especially since the vineyards were certified biodynamic. While at Bonterra, Espinoza met Alan York, a well-known biodynamic guru, who was also consulting at Benziger Winery in Glen Ellen, California. Legend has it that York gave Espinoza a copy of Steiner’s book and the rest is history.

The Simple Life
Espinoza’s climb to fame has proven rapid and he has been referred to as the father of biodynamic viticulture in Chile. Starting in 2000 at Viñedos Orgánicos Emiliana, Espinoza undertook a project to introduce and study biodynamics in select regions of Chile. The results of the project have produced what biodynamic proponents strive for—award-winning wines and healthy land.

In the Colchagua Region, Viñedos Orgánicos Emiliana has produced Coyam, a blend of Merlot, Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2000 Coyam was a very fine effort showing complexity from 12 months in French oak, concentrated dark berry flavors and a firm tannic backbone. Espinoza’s dedication reached new heights in the 2001 Coyam, as the wine was named Best of Show at the annual Wines of Chile Awards.

Two other worthwhile organic projects continue under Espinoza’s watchful eye. In June of last year, he launched Sincerity, a cuvée of 75 percent Merlot and 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon organically grown in Chile’s Colchagua Valley. The 10-year-old vines and Espinoza’s masterful touch show in this deepcolored, berry-rich wine.

The other project, Antiyal, represents the combined heart and soul of Espinoza and his wife, Marina—and embodies the essence of sustainable agriculture. They blend biodynamic Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, grown on a one-acre vineyard surrounding their home in the Maipo Valley, with Syrah and Carmenère from nearby biodynamic vineyards. Since 1998, the couple has been making about 400 cases a year of this cult wine.

Alvaro, Marina and their three children tend the vines and crush the grapes in their own winery— formerly a dilapidated house that they resurrected. Eschewing the fast-paced modern life, as biodynamic farming would dictate, the Espinozas live a simple, self-sufficient life surrounded by their beloved grapes, farm animals and a couple of alpacas for company.

Not so many years ago skeptics turned their noses up at the idea of organic agriculture—now a widely discussed, practiced and respected agricultural method. Slightly more esoteric, biodynamic farmers face a similar course. But given the successes of wines from biodynamic farms, wine drinkers will drive the evolution from eccentric to mainstream.

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A freelance writer and retired international airline captain, Thomas J. Reagan Jr. travels extensively seeking great wines of the world.

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