Some of the world’s greatest wine estates farm by the phases of the moon and bury cow horns full of manure in their vineyards. The reason traces back to eight lectures given by an Austrian philosopher in the last year of his life.
Rudolf Steiner never made wine. Yet this Austrian philosopher (1861–1925) is one of the most quietly influential figures in modern viticulture, because he was the father of biodynamics — the holistic farming philosophy now embraced by many of the finest wine estates on earth.[1]
Eight lectures that changed farming
In June 1924, at Koberwitz (today Kobierzyce, Poland), Steiner delivered a course of eight lectures to a gathering of some 111 farmers.[1] Alarmed by the rise of chemical agriculture, he proposed a radically different vision: to treat the farm not as a machine for producing crops but as a single living organism, self-sustaining and attuned to the wider rhythms of nature.[1] That course, known simply as the Agriculture Course, is the seminal text of both biodynamic farming and the broader organic movement.
Living soil, cosmic rhythm
Biodynamics builds on organic principles — no synthetic chemicals — but goes further. It works with the cycles of the moon and cosmos to time tasks like planting and pruning, and it uses a set of special herbal and mineral preparations to enliven the soil and compost.[1] To skeptics it can look like ritual; to its many devotees, it produces more vibrant soils, healthier vines, and wines of greater energy and expression.
Treat the vineyard as a living whole, and — its believers say — the wine comes alive.
A philosophy in the vineyard
Steiner died in 1925, but his ideas spread across the world within a decade, and in recent decades biodynamics has been embraced by a remarkable roster of elite wine producers in Burgundy, the Rhône, Alsace, and beyond — and by pioneers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, one of the great homes of sustainable and biodynamic wine.[1] A century on, the philosopher’s eight lectures still shape how the world’s best wine is grown.
| Who | Austrian philosopher (1861–1925); founder of biodynamics[1] |
|---|---|
| The moment | The 1924 Agriculture Course at Koberwitz[1] |
| Core idea | The farm as a single living organism[1] |
| Legacy in wine | Embraced by many of the world’s finest estates[1] |
Biodynamics in the vineyard
Steiner’s philosophy is alive in the vineyards of Oregon and beyond — read how it fits the sustainability ethos of the Willamette Valley.
Related reading: sustainability in Willamette Valley wine · why place makes the wine · the Wine History Timeline
Frequently asked questions
Who founded biodynamic farming?
The Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, in a course of eight lectures — the “Agriculture Course” — delivered at Koberwitz in 1924, the year before his death. It is the founding text of biodynamics.
What is biodynamic wine?
Wine grown by biodynamic farming: an organic approach that treats the vineyard as a living organism, works with lunar and cosmic rhythms, and uses special herbal and mineral preparations to enliven the soil.
Sources
- “Biodynamic agriculture / Rudolf Steiner” (biodynamics founded by Rudolf Steiner, 1861–1925, in his 1924 Agriculture Course of eight lectures at Koberwitz to some 111 farmers; the farm as a living organism; a response to chemical agriculture and the seminal text of the organic movement; worldwide spread and adoption by leading wine estates), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture
Want to read more?
Books we drew on and recommend — starting with a lively look at biodynamic winegrowers.
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