Biodynamic Winemaking

Frey Biodynamic Zinfandel bottles with the Demeter seal

The standard for Biodynamic® winemaking comes from the Demeter Biodynamic Federation. Each bottle of certified Biodynamic wine features the Demeter seal on the label of the wine bottle. To be certified Biodynamic, a wine must be made with Biodynamic grapes and processed with Biodynamic winemaking practices. The Biodynamic grapes are grown near where they are produced to optimize the holistic land connection and offer a true terroir to the finished wine.

For those of you unfamiliar with terroir, it is a French noun used to describe the taste of a place.

Terroir /terˈwär/

“The complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.
The characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.”

— Dictionary

One of the unique practices of Biodynamic winemaking involves harvesting the yeast needed for fermentation into wine directly from the grapes themselves. While most wines nowadays are made with added yeast, Biodynamic winemaking requires that the yeast be generated from the grapes and not grown in a lab.

Our Frey Biodynamic Wine ingredients are simply grapes, ripe from the vine. To help grow out the yeast, we often create a “catch tank” in between the vineyard rows of the grape varietal in question. These tanks provide a large surface area to bring in yeast from the grapes, air, and surrounding environment, which helps create an incredibly local terroir to the wine.

While many folks use the terms Organic and Biodynamic somewhat interchangeably to reflect a deep ecological awareness of agricultural practices, there are some important distinctions in winemaking. At present, the Organic certification requires that no chemicals be added to the fermentation during winemaking. Biodynamic certification currently allows for up to 100 ppm of sulfites in a finished wine bottle.

Frey Vineyards is the first Biodynamic Winery in the USA. Many of the wines that we offer are certified Biodynamic and feature the Demeter seal on the label. However, because we are absolutely committed to the organic standard of “no added sulfites” in any of our wines, you can also see the USDA Organic seal on all of our labels, including our Biodynamic wines. In this way, we believe that we combine the best of both standards: the chemical-free Organic process and the simplicity of ingredients from the Biodynamic winemaking method.

While the Organic wine certification allows for wine grapes to be grown in one location while the wine is produced in another area, the Biodynamic wine certification requires a more closely related connection between the grapes grown and the area where they are produced. Our Biodynamic wines all come from Frey Vineyards in Redwood Valley, in Mendocino County, in Northern California.

We also have many Frey family and community members who are deeply committed to Biodynamics! Luke Frey is well known for his prep-making. Derek Dahlen manages our vineyards with a Master's degree in Biodynamic Agriculture from New College. Eva Marie Lind, who has been developing a sensory program at Frey, also worked with Demeter for several years. Katrina Frey even served on the Demeter board for several years to support the creation of the Biodynamic standard.Along with the rest of the worldwide Biodynamic community, we are celebrating 100 years of Biodynamic Agriculture! Cheers to Frey Biodynamic Wines from the Biodynamic vineyards and wild yeasts in Redwood Valley, California!