Biodynamic pioneer Joly blames wine consultants for death of appellations
May 18, 2007
By Oliver Styles
French winemaker Nicholas Joly has blamed consultants for the death of the appellation system in an outspoken attack on modern winemaking techniques.
'Not very much' remains of appellation guarantees to the consumer that a 'special taste' will come from a precise area, Joly says. Consultants are to blame, he says.
Joly, who makes biodynamic wines, says that between the 1950s and 1970s, agricultural consultants recommended the use of herbicides, allowing the winemaker to ignore working the soil.
Side effects included the destruction of bacteria in the soil, resulting in diminished growth and forcing producers to use chemical fertilisers. He also pointed to the use of 'aromatic yeasts', synthetic sap treatments and enzymes – all widely available to producers at the time.
'The taste of wine, its harmony, its beauty, its elegance, belongs to a qualitative world of intangible origin,' he said in his article for the Organic Wine Journal. 'Which cannot be restored as one replaces a layer of paint.'
Joly, whose vines have been given no synthetic chemical products, insecticides or nitrates since he made his Domaine de la Coulée de Serrant biodynamic in 1984, singled the 'materialistically-minded' consultants out for blame. He said they had 'not yet considered that since life is a frequency, it is not to be measured quantitatively.'
He said that biodynamics was helping winemakers regain their knowledge of the soil of their appellation area.
'Biodynamics is putting an end to the profitable market of the consultants, restoring to the viticulturalist knowledge he should never have lost,' he said.
Wine writer and biodynamic expert Monty Waldin agrees in the main with Joly but said winegrowers must take responsibility for their actions.
'You can't blame consultants for "poisoning" the soil anymore than you can blame Robert Parker for "standardising" a whole generation of wines. Winegrowers are the ones who must take responsibility for their actions in both the vineyard and the winery. When you get a speeding ticket you can't pass the fine onto the engine designer.'
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I agree wholeheartedly. Wine making is becoming too much of a science rather than the art it should be. Anybody can make an 'industrialised' wine but a true wine of the 'Terroir' is made through respect for the environment and from the passion of the winemaker. I am a caviste (wineshop owner) in South West France and in the last few years more and more of the young, dynamic, truly passionate winemakers in the area are turning to organic or biodyamic wines. There is definitely a demand for organic wines, however one of the main problems is educating the consumer. Mitch O'Sullivan
Pesticides, soil work, have a certain effect on soil life and wine complexity, originality. But I think wine consultant have more influence in the cellar rather than in the vineyard. Winemaking techniques, en primeur tasting and Robert Parker have never had such an influence on how we manage yields, fermentations and ageing. As Nicolas Joly says, it's true that you can taste different wines from the same consultant without really guessing the appellation. It's easier to find the consultant... And this is quite disapointing, as you may be charged 20 euros for a cotes de bordeaux. This cannot sound logical for a consumer, even if the wine is good.
Beside the human effect, climate evolution is bringing the alcohol content higher, removing delicates flavour and aromas, that you can get only with a long ripening period. It can be considered as a standardising effect.
As Joly says, we should be closer and sincere to our local terroir, but can we handle shivering with actual palate, competition and press? Biggest killer could be oak barrels...
Laurent, Winemaker, Pomerol, France
As an Australian grape grower and wine producer I would be ill advised to comment on the demise of the Appellation system and consultant's role in it. However, I do agree with Nicholas Joly about the terrible effects of herbicides, synthetic fungicides and many fertilisers on soil health. Our vines are planted on very old soils and since adopting BioDynamic practices six years ago we have seen huge improvements in soil structure and life. I also have no doubt that the grapes and the resulting wines have better structure and more flavour.
I'd also agree with Monty Waldin - it is up to us as growers and winemakers to take responsibility for our actions, just as it's up to all of us as consumers to change the way we live if we wish to leave a less polluted earth for our children.
David Ritchie, Delatite Winery, Australia
In an effort to return to old-fashioned agriculture, I think an error was made using “wine consultant” instead of “agricultural consultant” in the title of the article above. Please check the description of each job's attributes. Personally, I think that the extended use of natural fungicides, as stipulated by both organic and biodynamic viticulture, ironically, does not eliminate the fungal problems and can lead to an increased level of soil toxicity. It seems only way out is a combination of modern and classic winemaking techniques, while taking care to maintain the consistency of quality and character of different terroirs.
Harry Constantinescu, Wine Consultant, Certified Sommelier
I agree, but I think the blame lies in both camps, the products sold to the vineyards have always been to increase yields or decrease labour expense. It was never to produce better quality grapes, even though they will sell it "better quality with increased yields".This is pure and simple greed on both the consultant and the grapegrower. Together they have eliminated the unique characteristic of the land. In the winery, consultants like architects cant help but put their signature on a wine.
Anthony Buree, Le Vieux Pin winery, Oliver, BC, Canada
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I agree wholeheartedly. Wine making is becoming too much of a science rather than the art it should be. Anybody can make an 'industrialised' wine but a true wine of the 'Terroir' is made through respect for the environment and from the passion of the winemaker. I am a caviste (wineshop owner) in South West France and in the last few years more and more of the young, dynamic, truly passionate winemakers in the area are turning to organic or biodyamic wines. There is definitely a demand for organic wines, however one of the main problems is educating the consumer. Mitch O'Sullivan
