Biodynamic viniculture, credited to Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher and social reformer, is a stricter version of organic practices, though some critics deride the system’s more homeopathic preparations, such as burying a cow horn full of manure in the vineyard.
At the core, biodynamic farmers see their vineyard as an interconnected and living, breathing ecosystem, and their goal is to create harmony between the soil, the vines and the land’s other existing flora and fauna.
Regardless of the more “hippie” elements of biodynamics, its tenets force practitioners to focus that much harder on their vineyard work, with fans praising the wines as more expressive of terroir.
Look for: Two biodynamic certification groups are Demeter and Biodyvin which has more lenient vinification rules. “Made with biodynamic grapes” means the grapes are farmed biodynamically, but the winemaker is more lax on the rules in the winery.
Buy it: 95 Pacific Rim 2010 Wallula Vineyard Biodynamic Riesling (Columbia Valley (WA). Editor’s Choice.