With a strict farming philosophy behind it, these wines are shaped by nothing but the earth that the grapes are grown in.

Art can take the form of many things - painting, sculpture, poetry and wine. And viewing winemaking as art seems to be the underlying notion of how the creators of Biodynamic wines craft their unique product.

At first glance Biodynamic wines appear to be something out of the norm. We had visions of people stomping on grapes harvested only during full moons. Joking aside, this is quite a serious undertaking. Biodynamic agriculture is described as managing a farm within the context of the principles of a living organism, meaning that fertility and feed arise out of the recycling of the organic material the system generates. Water is recycled and re-used throughout the vineyard and nothing can be brought in to change the soil or the fruit. We asked why would someone choose to run this type of vineyard. Does it really make a difference in the grapes and the final product? These wines aren't created in mass quantities and it surely isn't easy to farm this way.

To truly grasp this concept, we contacted Demeter USA in Philomath, Oregon. Demeter is the U.S. branch of the Biodynamic certifying agency, and learned about this philosophy of farming that dates back to 1924 and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. According to the agency, "Biodynamic farm management relies on close attention to the interrelation of the farm's parts (i.e., fertility management, water management, pest control, etc.), rather than solely isolating and concentrating on its individual parts. In practice this entails managing a farm in such a way that inputs, which otherwise would need to be imported from off the farm, arise from within the living dynamics of the farm itself." So, for a vineyard, you can only create a wine with what is in the vineyard.

In organic farming, U.S.D.A. regulations state that no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers are to be used for three years prior to organic certification, but Biodynamic farming goes beyond that and requires an additional two years of management under the strict Demeter standards. The certification requires that as much as possible, a farm must be regenerative rather than degenerative. Specifically regarding vineyards embracing this farming method, "the usage of the Biodynamic preparations and the sculpting of a farm in this image are conscious tools utilized to allow a vineyard to come to its true expression through the grapes it produces."

Weather plays a big part in how the wines will taste and it varies year to year, creating more or less sugars and natural yeast. Each season produces a different product and when the grapes are harvested, nothing is added to create the wine. Such a production method yields a wine that is very true to the living earth, the light, the warmth and the distinct archetypal rhythms that permeate and form the fruit of the vineyard, according to the agency.

While Biodynamic vineyards are not commonplace yet, Jim Fullmer, director of Demeter USA, notes that the number of these wineries has more than tripled over the past three years, though many more wineries request information on certifications than go on to complete the applications. Fullmer explains that they try to be clear to new applicants exactly what's involved in reaching Demeter certification, which has been the standard for more than 80 years. However, he has noticed that those that get to the stage of actually applying for certification and adjusting their farming and processing operations to meet the Demeter standard are pretty committed to getting there.

We're told that wine connoisseurs who know what they're looking for can taste the difference between these wines and those conventionally produced. When nothing is added, the winemaker as an artist must have the ability to create something wonderful with an ingredient that changes each year depending on the weather and elements of the earth it's grown in. "You can grow a pinot in Oregon and a pinot in California, and it will be two totally different things," explained Sally Lammers, Demeter program manager. "That really speaks to the heart of Biodynamics and the individuality of vineyards. You can give two people the same paint colors, paintbrushes and paper, and you'll get two different interpretations."