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NA VIGA TION W I N E M A K I N G sical chords, but it cannot explain why a major chord is cheerful and a minor chord is melancholy. Every high school student knows the historic roots of science's battle against superstition and mythology, and ever since Galileo, we have grown increasingly suspi- cious of myth and accustomed to testable, verifiable assertions. But we are kidding ourselves. The slice Among the four principles of Biodynamics are creating a closed system of nutrients and natural resources as well as creating an ecosystem full of biodiversity. three degrees. Some phenomena are mere- ly obscure; we know the questions but not the answers. In other areas, we have not developed language to articulate the right questions. Finally, in some important ar- eas, organized knowledge may be funda- mentally unobtainable. Newcomers to postmodern methods are often disturbed by our high reliance on the human palate over lab-generated numbers. Because we lack tools and information, for example, to measure reductive strength, minerality or colloid shapes, today a strict- ly analytical approach cannot succeed. We know what the issues are, we just haven't conquered them. In other cases, entire fields of scientific study are yet undeveloped. Examples include the geometry of emotion,1 the study of complex systems interactions2 and the non-analytical chemistry neces- sary to investigate the diversity created by phenolic polymerization.3 I believe areas of fundamental mystery AstraPouch_Jan11.qxp 11/23/10 9:04 AM Page 1 exist for which science can never provide useful answers. Theory can prescribe mu- of experience within our grasp is small. Winemakers need to delve into the shad- owy realms where soulfulness hangs out, and a reliance on rationality bars access to much of our experience. We must be able to perceive without understanding. Instinct, patient observation and prag- matic trial and error have always guided pio- neers in both science and art. Theory comes later as a device for organizing our findings, masquerading as explanation. To navigate uncharted realms, we must often let go of the comforting props of plausibility, logical extension of theory and statistical testing. The advent of Biodynamics is a great case in point. It is plain from Stuart Smith's lively forum BiodynamicsIsaHoax. com4 on both sides. Just as the ACLU saw fit to defend the rights of skinheads to march, and as flag burners challenge Americans' that the subject boils a lot of blood BA R A RCHITECTS 543 Howard Street San Francisco, California 415 293 5700 www.bararch.com Wineries Clubhouses Resorts Custom Homes Starmont Winery QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #2308 132 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #926