20 Years Biodynamic

BIODYNAMICS

Quality · Integrity · Sustainability

These three words have defined Cullen Wines philosophy since the beginning over 50 years ago. Diana Madeline AM and Kevin John Cullen AM were both champions for the environment and in 1969 successfully, with their friends, protected the whole of the Margaret River coastline, cape to cape, Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin from bauxite mining, thereby keeping this beautiful natural world for future generations to enjoy. Vanya Cullen OAM, has  continued on with her parents legacy, in her time as custodian since 2003 with her mother’s passing, taking Cullen Wines from minimal chemical inputs, to organic certification, to biodynamic in 2004, and carbon neutral since 2006. That is 20 years of farming with biodynamic, and 18 years giving back to the land with ethical business practice, planting trees as examples of offsetting and reducing carbon emissions through sequestration of carbon and lowering our emissions in the race to carbon zero. Organic wine growing removes the chemicals and biodynamics is another level above organic. i.e. if you are organic, you are not biodynamic, but if you are biodynamic, you are organic. What makes this so?

Biodynamic preparations

Biodynamic certification with Australian Certified Organic (ACO) needs the use of preparation 500 and 501.Preparation 500 helps the soil develop humus, attracts earthworms and microorganisms. Preparation 501 aids photosynthesis and the uptake of minerals in the soil.

Team Cullen stuffing cowhorns with the biodynamic preparation

We make these preparations on site at Cullen since the beginning. Burying cow horns full of manure from our own biodynamic lactating cows on the winter solstice when the earth and water energies are strongest.The cow horns are exhumed on the summer solstice when the greatest forces of light and heat are present.

After resting in the ground for six months, the 500 preparation is sweet smelling microbiology, which we dynamize in water through a series of vortexes.It is then sprayed on the ground at a rate of 85 grams per hectare. This extraordinary, microbiological life supercharger activates the soil, acting like a probiotic. Healthy land, healthy vines, and healthy beautiful fruit. This process is carried out at the auspicious time of the evening of Moon Opposite Saturn (which happens once per month). The earth is in the middle and Saturn bringing minerality, silica and structure. The moon is on the opposite side of the earth bringing fertility and calcium. It is a wonderful time of activation and energy for the land and the right time to spray 500 and 501. Preparation 501 is the other preparation necessary for our biodynamic certification. It is ground down quartz silica from our land which is placed into the cow horns on the summer solstice as the 500 is exhumed. This is similarly sprayed out on the Moon Opposite Saturn at a rate of 2 grams per hectare, dynamized in water for an hour through a series of vortexes. The atmospheric spray helps with disease and general vineyard health.

The other preparations are plant based and act in many different ways:

  • Yarrow flowers (502) strengthen the vines against insect attack and brings in the influence of light.
  • Chamomile (503) stimulates bacteria for nitrogen fixing in the soil, strengthens the vines regenerative life activity bringing calcium and magnesium.
  • Stinging nettle (504) aids decomposition and chlorophyll formation.
  • Oak Bark (505) rebalances the soil and protects against fungal disease.
  • Dandelion (506) makes the vines more sensitive, can increase flowering.
  • Valerian flowers (507) contain vine vigour and mobilises bacteria in the soil.
  • Equisetum or Casurina (She Oak) pure silica in the leaves protects against fungus and mildew.

These preparations except for 508 are used in other important biodynamic products such as Barrel compost, (basalt, crushed eggshells, cow manure) which is a great tonic for land and plants. We use 5-10 cubic metres per hectare to put back what we take from the grape harvest. The compost also helps with soil structure and moisture retention.

In between the vine rows we use a multispecies cover crop. Vetch, clover, oats and rye help to build biodiversity, improve soil health, vine health, and wine quality. This also helps with soil moisture retention, which is important with a warming, drying climate.

Biodynamics practices have had a dramatic shift for the better. We first trialled in 2003 with astonishing quality results in our chardonnay, resulting in the whole vineyard being converted to biodynamics in 2004.These changes were improvements in our cover crops, vine health and grape quality. Outcomes were physiological ripeness at lower alcohols, as vines achieved their natural balance. We could produce grapes every year which did not require additions of yeast, acid, malolactic or anything at all. Purity, beauty and completeness, balance, vitality, aliveness, and energy, are all words used to describe these wines since biodynamics at Cullen Wines. It is the enlivening of the land through the microbiology on our ancient Wilyabrup soils that makes the first and most important difference.

Biodynamic Spiral Garden Tour

In response to the level of interest in biodynamics from visitors to the winery, in 2013 the Self-Guided Spiral Garden Biodynamic Tour was installed.

As the name suggests, the intention is for people to be able to stroll through the garden at their leisure and follow the fascinating biodynamic process that is employed throughout the winery and the gardens at Cullen.

Visitors can touch, feel and read about the actions and concepts for themselves, from the development of Steiner’s preparations, to the flowform series of vortexes.

Planets and biodynamics

The planets are also an important part of our biodynamic programme. We have observed and experimented relentlessly over the 20-year period of biodynamics to notice wonderful and unique outcomes in land and wine. The connection of earth to sky is very important in the language of grapes to wine with biodynamics.We use the Maria Thunn method via Brian Keats Astro Calendar.

At Cullen, we repeatedly observe fruit & flower days, full moons, new moons, moon opposite Saturn. All have a particular and unique influence of character, energy, and flavour on our wines. It gives a connection from earth to sky which is infinite and beautiful in its expression of wine, like the universe itself, manifesting all different forms of wine at Cullen. Unique and individual and never to be repeated as the stars and universe is always changing.

We use the calendar in the vineyard, winery and more recently for our barrels to complete the vinous picture. We prefer the flower day barrels for our white and fruit day barrels for our reds. This means that every aspect of the barrels making, (harvesting of the tree, splitting of the wood, construction and barrel firing) is all done on a flower day.

Through many years of experimenting, we now have 100% biodynamic barrels and puncheons in our winery. The flower day gives more minerality and structure and the fruit day gives more powerful fruit.Working with the natural world through biodynamics has given a consistency with a unique sense of place in a beautiful way. We will continue to observe the influence of earth to sky going forwards. The detail of this observation of nature and its timing is very important. The vines are our responsibility to look after and futureproof for the next generations of custodianship for our land. Biodynamics will continue to be central in everything we do.