We are often asked about the Luna Tasting Calendar and how it affects the taste of wines.  In the 1950s Maria Thun, a German biodynamic practioner developed the Biodynamic Planting Calendar which linked certain aspects of biodynamic farming to constellations within the Zodiac. This was a more formal arrangement of the unwritten luna cycles to which farmers have planted or harvested for hundreds of years.

As a living organism it is logical that wine responds to the rhythms of the Zodiac in four specific cycles – Fruit, Root, Flower and Leaf – with each cycle bringing certain taste profiles to the fore:

Fruit days: The fruit notes are regarded as being more vibrant and even overpowering in some cases, with the wines appearing full-bodied and rich in character.

Leaf days: Wines are experienced to be less sweet, with a dominant, earthy minerality.

Root days: Wines tasted in the Root cycle appear more subdued than when consumed within the other cycles.

Flower days: The Flower cycle is generally regarded as the best tasting day overall for wine.

Back in 2012 we decided to test this theory with a formal Luna Taste Test, and due to unprecedented interest we are very excited to announce that we are going to do it again, but this time, we’re asking YOU, the public, to try this experiment at home.

We will give you 4 selected dates over a two-week period on which to taste our Avondale wines – the tastings will cover all four of the Luna Calendar phases. Let us know what variances you found when tasting the wines on different days of the Luna Calendar, and we will collate all the findings for future discussion.

If you would like to participate, please contact Caelli (caelli@avondalewine.co.za) and we’ll be in touch with more information.

Alternatively if you would like to start tasting wine using the Luna Calendar, you can follow us on Twitter @LunaCalendar or via our Facebook page where we regularly post information.