Avondale is excited to launch an intriguing experiment in conjunction with Platter’s South African Wine Guide to put the biodynamic lunar tasting calendar to test.  The moon, which typically governs many aspects of biodynamic farming, is believed to play a role in how a wine will be experienced on certain days. According to the calendar, there are four specific cycles, namely fruit, root, flower and leaf. There are those who maintain that wine consumed in the period of a fruit cycle, for instance, will taste different when drank in the flower cycle.

Johnathan Grieve, Avondale Proprietor, says: “Believing that wine is a living product that responds to the moon’s rhythms in the ways that organisms do, it is particularly recognized that fruit and flower days are most beneficial to wine-tasting, while leaf, and especially root days are regarded as less favourable. With the help of our team of panellists, we have decided to test this theory in the form of a fun experiment we have called Fruit vs. Root- Luna Taste Test.” To find out more about the overall concept click on our YouTube video below.

Over a period of two weeks in May, with two tasting cycles occurring per week, Grieve and his team of panellists will be meeting for a total of four tastings at Dear Me, a Cape Town hot spot. The team will taste Avondale’s premium range of organic and biodynamic wines and subsequently compare notes on the experience, as dictated by the four cycles. The project will be largely driven by social media, with panellists sharing their experiences in real time on Facebook and Twitter.

Introducing the Luna Testing Panel…

Johnathan Grieve – Proprietor of Avondale
Follow Avondale on Twitter – @AvondaleWine

Philip van Zyl – Editor of Platter’s South African Wine Guide
Follow Platter’s on Twitter – @wineonaplatter

Cathy Marston – Prolific wine journalist and educator
Follow Cathy on Twitter – @CathyMarston

Higgo Jacobs– Consultant Sommelier at various establishments

Hennie Coetzee & Maggie Mostert– Writers of Batonage blog
Follow Batonage on Twitter: @Batonage

Jonathan Snashall: Wine writer and blogger
Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @wholebunchpress

Maryna Strachan: Editor of Wine Extra
Follow Maryna on Twitter: @MadgesLife

“We are extremely excited about this project and look forward to some surprising results. We have always known that the moon plays a role in influencing the tides, so it is extremely possible that it could affect wine or even our taste buds. In any event, we expect to have fun testing this theory!” admits Grieve.

The results of Fruit vs. Root- Luna Taste Test will be announced on the Platter’s and Avondale websites.

Follow Avondale on Twitter @AvondaleWine and Like Avondale Wines on Facebook.

Follow Platter’s Wine Guide on Twitter @wineonaplatter and Like Platter’s South African Wine Guide on Facebook.