July: It's the lull before the storm, the time of year when winemakers catch their breath before the rigors of harvest. Barring some extreme weather conditions, it looks like it will be a big harvest this year, too.

We hear all the time that wine is "made" in the vineyard, a cliché to be sure, but there is a lot of truth to it.

Much of this issue of Wine Business Monthly touches on sustainable, organic and even biodynamic grape growing. Check out the fascinating roundtable on organic and biodynamic farming.

In order for a winery or a vineyard to refer to itself as biodynamic, it must have achieved certification through Demeter by adhering to the Demeter Farm Standard for a minimum of three years if conventionally farmed or a minimum of one year if organically farmed. The entire farm, or vineyard, must be certified--not just a portion of land within the farm. Farms are inspected annually to ensure the standard is being met.

There are still few certified biodynamic vineyards but Demeter is seeing more interest. Winery membership has grown from five to more than 60 in the past four years. Demeter expects to add more than 20 new wine growers and wineries in 2010.

A certified winery or vineyard provides biodynamic grapes. For certified grapes to result in certified wine, a Demeter Wine Processing Standard must be met. The intent is to minimize manipulation of the ingredients.

The processing standard has two labeling categories: "Biodynamic Wine," the most rigorous category allowing the least manipulation, and "Made with Biodynamic grapes." Both categories allow sulfites, approved yeast nutrients, Bentonite for protein stabilization and biodynamic or organic egg whites for tannin fining. Both prohibit outside aromatic yeast, malolactic bacteria, enzymes or tannins. The "Made with Biodynamic grapes" category permits limited sugar and acidity adjustments.

Biodynamics has been called "witchcraft" or "voodoo" in the vineyard because of some of the odd things it involves, including burying horns with cow manure during a full moon. Some see it as a marketing gimmick. Personally, I'm a skeptic; but at the very least, anything that gets people out into the vineyard paying more attention to their farming practices can't hurt.

Great wine starts with great grapes, but one need not forget that wine is actually made in the winery. Often times, the lab in a winery is underappreciated for the role it can play. One article in this issue is about setting up a lab on a budget. A good lab will give a winemaker confidence for making decisions for making the best wine possible.

Cyril Penn - Editor