Monty Waldin’s Biodynamic Wine Guide 2011 – out now

Today, I’m scheduled to be at Cobaw Ridge winery (Macedon Ranges, Victoria), a vertical of whose fabulous Lagreins I wrote up here.  They’re farming biodynamically and I’m looking forward to it because I find biodynamic vineyards have the lived in quality of a well loved home versus the sterile, manicured “show-house” feel of so-called conventionally farmed vineyards, where everything is just so….

If you’re a fan of biodynamic wines and vines like me, or you want to find out more about them, Monty Waldin’s new book on the subject is published this month.  I have Waldin’s first book on the topic (Biodynamic Wines, published by Mitchell Beazley) which provides a very comprehensive low down on biodynamics, its history, the products and processes and includes winemaker profiles.  

It’s very good, if a little dry (treatise-like), but perhaps the new book will be less so because, since then, Waldin has established his own biodynamic estate in the Roussillon, Chateau Monty.  No doubt there will be some personal insights which should lift it off the page (much like the 2008 TV programme about Chateau Monty).  At any rate, I’m told the book contains 50 black and white photos of biodynamics in action “so expect plenty of cow manure, cow horns, compost and and chamomile sausages”.

The new book is called Monty Waldin’s Biodynamic Wine Guide 2011 and it covers the theory and practice of biodynamics in general and biodynamic wine-growing in particular, profiling 1,500+ wine estates worldwide which are either certified biodynamic, or are certified organic with biodynamic practices, or are merely certified organic (potential biodynamic wineries of tomorrow).   See Waldin’s website here for more details.