Wines "big word" of the week! What the heck is a "Biodynamic?"

A vineyard that is certified Biodynamic© meets and typically exceeds the standards and regulations for organic certified farming.

The term "Biodynamic" (now a copyrighted term) refers to an agricultural movement that gained ground in the 1920s and was defined by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, a professor and philosopher from Austria. The goal of Biodynamics is to get a vineyard, a farmyard or a backyard to be largely self-sustaining, utilizing waste products from one zone as fuel for another area. Vines grown under a Biodynamic© management system, are viewed not as a single "row of vines" but as a small (albeit vital) piece of the whole vineyard structure. It's been said that Biodynamics© look at the vineyard or farm as a "living, breathing organism" itself from the soil to the sun, all striving for a well-balanced ecosystem that is self-sustaining.