I bought ‘When Wine Tastes Best: A biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers (2010)’, intrigued to see if this guide based on Maria Thun’s biodynamic would tie in with my experience – or not. I wanted to be as open minded as possible, so I decide to review the guide only in retrospect.
What did I discover? Here are a few highlights:
Christmas Day 2009 – three champagnes tasted wonderful. A leaf day.
January 14 – Burgundy tasting at Lord’s. Although I discovered the wonderful wines of Romain- Taupenot I was disappointed. I didn’t ‘click’ – and I love Burgundy. A fruit day.
January 31 – Portugal, lunch and tasting with Vasco Croft – biodynamic wines excited me hugely. Taste buds on fire. A fruit day, hallelujah!
May 19 – I held a Cahors tasting and thought it went particularly well. Fruit again!
June 1 – visited Roger Saumaize with a group of wine-lovers. Biodynamic producer. Fab wines – everyone hugely impressed. Root day – I suppose it had to be. Oh dear!
June 22 – visited Romain Taupenot and am again bowled over by the beauty of his wines. Flower Day.
August 9 – visited Catharine Wallace (in Saint Chinian). Biodynamic producer. Greatly taken by her wine (again). Leaf Day. Is that why, despite my enthusiasm I muddled Syrah and Grenache when tasting barrel samples, or is it that Catharine’s wines express their terroir so well that varietal differences seem less accentuated?
September 8 – Wines of Chile tasting. And I’m frankly disappointed. I don’t seem to click again. The day’s not even rated – so maybe it wasn’t just me?
October 19 – very well-received tasting of Rasteau, though the VDN fails to shine. Flower Day. Why did the VDN not show well – I had one the other day and it was great?
November 9 – another visit to Romain Taupenot. I’m feeling stressed and out of sorts, but the wines are still stunning. A fruit day!
December 1 – my most successful tasting in the Vine Visit year. Sherry. A knockout. Everyone seemed to be thrilled by the wines . And a root day …
So what can we conclude? Nothing much. I can’t detect a pattern or any meaningful correspondence.
I suspect that how I felt had far more effect than whether it as a fruit or flower day (best) or a leaf and root day (avoid). Odd, isn’t it, that there’s nothing in the middle? There was the day, for example, when I tried to lead s seminar on Burgundy wine, with so thick a cold that I couldn’t tell the difference between wine and Dettol.
Will I buy the 2011 edition? Maybe – but for life of me I can’t think why.
