Six million dollar vin? No, it’s biodynamic – not bionic! And while the methods are bizarre, the results can be stunning 

An opulent upbeat treat that’s a laser beam of peaches, elderflowers and lychee 

An opulent upbeat treat that’s a laser beam of peaches, elderflowers and lychee 

On first hearing about biodynamic wine, I couldn’t help wondering what Steve Austin, the bionic man, had to do with crushing grapes. 

But where Steve is man-made, biodynamic farming aims to put the natural world at the heart of your glass. 

At first glance, the practices may appear odd, such as Preparation 500, which involves filling a cow horn with manure, burying it, mixing it with water and spraying it over the land at the descending phase of the Moon to promote healthy soil and microbial activity. 

But the more I taste these wines and find far more hits than misses, the more I’m fascinated by the methods. 

Based on Rudolf Steiner’s teachings from the Twenties, no chemicals are used and the vineyard is considered a single entity, including the living soil, that doesn’t depend on fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. 

Biodynamic wine is automatically organic, but it takes things even further by farming with the phases of the Moon. 

The idea is that the vine sap is affected in a similar way to the tides. Working with these cosmic forces, the theory goes, means vibrant tasty wine. 

WHERE OLLY DRANK THIS WEEK 

THE IVY, LONDON 

A gorgeous bottle of English fizz – Gusbourne 2010 Blanc de Blancs, shared with the brilliant minds behind the Ideal Home Show.

Some of the most prestigious wine producers in the world have adopted this method, including Domaine de la Romanée Conti in France. 

Here at home, one of my favourite places for biodynamic wine is lescaves.co.uk, with sexy wines such as Vin de Pétanque 2014 (13 per cent) at £10.99, which tastes like a tangy country wine that won the bingo and spruced up its vineyards with the winnings.

Another top bottle is Guillemot-Michel Quintaine Viré-Clessé (13 per cent), a peachy comet with a glittering stardust trail, from The Wine Society for £16. 

These wines may not be cheap but there’s a quality and purity to my picks this week that make an outstanding treat.

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