Will you make my day, or taste like hay?

Wine, oh wine, will you make my day? Or taste like hay?

Daily(ish) Confessional: What will it be today? Will the bottle of wine I open make my day? Or will it be off? Taste a little more like hay? Who knew the same exact bottle of wine on a ”good for wine” day versus a ”not so good for wine” day actually could taste dramatically better? My scientific experiment this weekend has made me really consider whether there is more to biodynamics than in the vinification and vitification cycles of wine alone!

Many farmers are moving beyond organics to biodynamics in both the vinification (wine making) and vitification (grape growing) cycles. While I won’t go into great detail on what this actually means in this post, suffice it to say that the lunar calendar along with earthly influences define not only what a farmer should do in the vineyard, but also when. Specifically based on the cycles of the moon.

An article in Natural Merchants quotes Matthias Thun, author of the book When Wine Tastes Best: A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers, “If we consider the wine in the bottle as a living organism, which matures over time, then it makes sense that it too, should respond to the rhythm of the moon.” I know, I know. You are likely thinking I’m well into my second bottle as I’m writing this, but hear me out! I’m quite certain many of you have read your horoscope and thought to yourself it’s going to be a really great day, week, month according to the alignment of the heavens!

Root day, flower day, leaf day, fruit day?

Interestingly, according to the principles of biodynamics, there is a direct correlation to the astrological signs and whether or not a wine will taste good to you. For example, if the calendar is on a Root Day, the Earth signs are dominant (Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo) and your wine may taste a bit dull or ”off”. These days are supposedly the worst for wine enjoyment! Darn, I’m a Taurus!

On the other hand, Fruit Days (Leo, Aries, Sagittarius) are days we should all pop our favorite bottle as it will taste at its best on these days! Count me in! Flower Days bring out florals and aromatics and Leaf Days can bring out herbal or mineral flavors in your wine. Biodynamics has proven a very interesting, and beneficial, practice in the vineyard and winery, so why not consider it when experiencing wine?

My science experiment I mentioned earlier was this simple. Last night, I opened a bottle of my favorite Oregon Pinot Gris. We were having Thai so it was the ideal pick. It was crisp, it was cold, but I can candidly say I wasn’t feeling it like I normally do. So I opened my When Wine Tastes Best app and low and behold, yesterday was a ROOT DAY! Not good for wine at all! Coincidence?

I’m continuing my experimentation tonight and am super excited it is a Flower Day which is good for wine! I’m planning on popping the cork on a Muscadet Sèvre et Maine with my homemade pasta and salmon. Wish me luck! If the lunar calendar and astrological signs are on my side, this is going to be magical!

PS: Download WhenWine and give it a try – comment below if your wine experience aligns with the cosmos!

Cheers! 🥂