Best biodynamic wines to try on Earth Day

An old-vine blend of Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada, aged for 84 months, this shows the rewards of age in its complexity. Aromas call to mind baked apple and cream, with roasted nuts, plus lifted green apple and herbal notes. The rich, expansive, toasty palate is layered with fresh grapefruit, lemon, salted almonds, ripe apricot and lemon tart; crisp, with a dry mineral, slightly saline finish. A Cava to savour, and one of only 10 Cavas awarded the prestigious Paratge classification (made with vines from a single exceptional plot), and the only one that's grown biodynamically.

Made from a co-fermented field blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier and Pinot Gris grown biodynamically in Wiltshire, this Bramley and Golden Delicious apple-scented wine is creamy, elegant, fruity and bold all at once. Superbly expressive, this is one to have with grilled cocktail sausages or around a bonfire. All about this says country, but in the creamiest, smoothest way possible. The fruit is ripe, so the zero dosage style suits it well. Its honesty and sheer delicious drinkability are disarming. Biodynamic.

Nossa Calcário (‘our limestone’) is a biodynamic 100% Bical from the ‘grand cru’ vineyard on the much-vaunted chalky clay soils around the village of Ois do Bairro, where Pato and husband William Wouters live and age wine in cellars under their home. Lissom, this would pair beautifully with sea bass, the finest ‘catch of the day’ from the ocean, just 15km away. Sarah Ahmed: Oyster shell aromas and flavours, a little creamy with fresh acidity, herbal al-dente apricot and pingy chalk. Nelson Guerreiro: Complex nose, notes of fermented tea, jasmine and pear. Nicely textured with good acidity well integrated. Joanna Locke MW: A touch of bruised apple, a little struck match reduction, yet taut and crisp, sappy acidity.

Niepoort’s pursuit of freshness finds its keenest expression in Bairrada. Impressed by the region’s limestone soils and Atlantic climate, Dirk Niepoort has proclaimed it ‘Portugal’s best terroir’. The estate is farmed biodynamically and this field blend of Bical and Maria Gomes, from vines about 1000-years-old, is aged in 60-year-old 1,000L foudres from the Mosel. Sarah Ahmed: Frisky acidity, savoury with a well-judged touch of nutty oak and an edge of brine to the long finish. A firm acid backbone brings an almost austere focus. Nelson Guerreiro: Slightly phenolic on the nose, and showing some development. Medium-bodied with balanced acidity. Joanna Locke MW: Developed yet fresh with secondary aromas of apple pastry and custard, a fine core of acidity and excellent length.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try this medium-sweet, biodynamic Gewurztraminer which has intriguing aromas of baked pineapple and a yeasty tang, akin to a Belgian lambic beer. Complex notes of fermenting hay and ripe melon forge through the powerful palate, with warming notes of stem ginger. I love how the savoury edge, spice and zest balance the sweetness.

Vanessa Cherruau describes this wine as 'aristocratic' compared to her Anjou Blanc wines. Although the soil types are similar, Savennières has crumblier schist soils, which naturally produce wines in a more delicate style. This example has a soft, honeyed nose and gentle, delicate palate. Beautifully balanced, elegant and fine, it finishes with a combination of sweet fruit and a mouthwatering, salty note. Biodynamic.

Exuberantly fruity nose with pineapple and mango. In the mouth, it's satin-textured, mouthcoating and enlivened by an almost imperceptible spritz. Based on 30% Picpoul de Pinet, a compelling blend of great flavour concentration and fullness of body, but then freshness, drinkability and a clean finish. Really authentic style of white Rhône that's up there with the best of Vacqueyras. Biodynamic.

This wine falls in the middle of the range of three Savennières produced by Evelyne de Pontbriand, the third generation of women to manage this historic estate. Full, yet charming and supple, with some toasty oak notes, round and rich but retaining the classic stony minerality that comes from the schist soils. Low yields ensure good intensity of flavour and the finish is long and deliciously bittersweet. Biodynamic.

An organic and biodynamic Garnacha Blanca, free from added sulphites, from the Valle del Yerri, the highest and coolest part of Navarra. A great example of low-intervention winemaking – with very marked acidity and bright lemon and tropical fruit, it is the definition of an elegant mountain white.

Bonny Doon and founder Randall Grahm were pioneers in the production of Rhône varietal wines in California's Central Coast region. Grahm sold the winery in January 2020, but stayed on as head winemaker. This complex and food-friendly blend of mainly Vermentino, along with Grenache Blanc and a dash of Clairette, was produced biodynamically and is unoaked. Ripe and juicy, this has pronounced notes of sweet peach fruit and a waft of jasmine, hawthorn fragrance. It's rounded but with good freshness, slightly waxy and almost Rhône-like in character, with a touch of warm leesiness. A steal at this price.

<p>Ripe peaches and apricots belie a saline, flinty character to the wine, with hints of mandarin orange in the background. Elegant and soft on the palate with a light grip and gentle acidity. Biodynamically grown and aged in amphorae, this is understated and complex; a wine to relax into.</p>