http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_wine

It’s worth drinking because you know all the cobblers the wine growing chappies have been through to make it…

Preparation 500 – Cow manure is buried in cow horns in the soil over winter. The horn is then dug up, its contents (called horn manure or ‘500’) are then stirred in water and sprayed on the soil in the afternoon. The horn may be re-used as a sheath.
Preparation 501 – Ground quartz is buried in cow horns in the soil over summer. The horn is then dug up, its contents (called horn silica or ‘501’) are then stirred in water and sprayed over the vines at daybreak. The horn may be re-used as a sheath.
Preparation 502 – Yarrow flowers are buried sheathed in a stag’s bladder. This is hung in the summer sun, buried over winter, then dug up the following spring. The bladder’s contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used bladder is discarded).
Preparation 503 – Chamomille, the German chamomile (Matricaria chamomila) flowers are sheathed in a cow intestine. This is hung in the summer sun, buried over winter, then dug up the following spring. The intestine’s contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used intestine is discarded).
Preparation 504 – Stinging nettles are buried in the soil (with no animal sheath) in summer, are dug up the following autumn and are inserted in the compost.
Preparation 505 – Oak bark is buried sheathed in the skull of a farm animal, the skull is buried in a watery environment over winter, then dug up. The skull’s contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used skull is discarded).
Preparation 506 – Dandelion flowers are buried sheathed in a cow mesentery (peritoneum). This is hung in the summer sun, buried over winter, then dug up the following spring. The mesentery’s contents are removed and inserted in the compost (the used mesentery is discarded).
Preparation 507 – Valerian flower juice is sprayed over and/or inserted into the compost.
Preparation 508 – Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) made either as a fresh tea or as a fermented liquid manure is applied either to the vines (in this case usually as a tea) or to the soil (in this case usually as a liquid manure).

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Tastes OK, does the job.

one of the best wines (actually probably the best. Certainly the most expensive) in my cellar is made by Nicholas Joly at Chateuax Roche aux Moines, cited in that wiki article.

Personally I think biodynamic wine is hoohy as a concept but to dismiss it straight off is to miss a big point. It’s similar to my approach to Organic production. “Organic” is frankly a load of bollox too. AT the heart of good produce (whether wine, meat or veg) is GOOD HUSBANDRY.

I just think that to a certain extent those that spend a lot of timing considering the way they raise their produce, tend to put more care in to the raising of the produce no matter what techniques they use.

As for Joly’s Savennieres (one of the Loire AOCs I have studied in great detail) I think 45% of the quality of his exceptional wines come from his higher level of husbandry and 45% from the unique plot of the Clos de la Coulée de Serrant which is as far as I can tell unlike any other in Savennierres, although a few other vineyards in the Roche Aux Moines portion of the AOC come close. If Im generous then, the other 10% comes from his special cow poo 🙂

It’s interesting, because the chap in the wine shop said ‘it might be a load of old cobblers, but it’s really nice to drink’, and I concur, it is nice to drink, perhaps a wee bit pricey at £12 a bottle, but it is very nice and smooth. It’s a Cosmo Red by ‘Crazy by Nature’ from New Zealand.