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NA VIGA TION W I N E M A K I N G are generated entirely at random and sur- vive only if they provide benefit. Origins don't relate to results. In any case, there is no great likelihood that we will ever reduce agronomy to test- able first principles. À la Darwin, all Bio- dynamics needs to do in order to be valid is to survive and thrive. Different language, same words Steiner's language, with its leaf days and root days, its quartz preparations and sensitive crystallizations, is part of what drives Davis-trained enologists crazy. Al- though the words are English, the system they construct addresses an entirely differ- ent view of reality. The Chinese system of medicine sounds peculiar to Western ears. For the Chinese, the liver is not an organ but a whole sys- tem within a web of systems comprising a whole organism that can be nudged to- wards wellness. Its theory centers around correcting imbalance rather than fixing specific pieces. Meridians and acupressure points cannot be said to exist or not exist any more than a chromatic scale exists in music, except in the musician's mind and soul. The question is whether this way of thinking and work- ing produces useful results for artful ex- pression between humans—not whether it exists, but whether it communicates. The poetic language that Biodynamics practitioners employ sounds quasi-scientif- ic. "The preps impact the energy force," says Oregon Biodynamic farming consultant Philippe Armenier. "They impact the soil and change the energy field of the plant." Armenier's energy isn't the stuff of Max- well's equations. Word confusion is the com- mon stamp of paradigm shifts. It took physics most of the 1920s to figure out that Bohr's and Schroedinger's disparate theories of the elec- tron were really just metaphorical attempts to use Newton's particle and wave concepts in a realm where they don't quite apply. The affront scientists feel when alter- native philosophies co-opt their language ignores the reality that many terms were recently stolen and altered by modern sci- ence. "Energy" is a very old word that was synonymous with vigor until Newtonians got their hands on it in the late 19th centu- ry. Don't get me started on a similar recent language heist around the word "planet."5 Ledcor_Jan11.qxp 12/7/10 2:30 PM Page 1 Do you believe in magic? Biodynamic consultant Alan York does not seem like much of a crackpot when pre- 466 Devlin Road, Napa, CA 94558 Tel: (707)257-5231 Fax: (707)259-1257 www.ledcor.com/napa "Wherever we go, one constant remains: excellence. Time after time, we earn our reputation by delivering quality projects and customer service in an effort to continually exceed our clients' expectations. ' International in outlook. Innovative in approach. Diversified in capabilities. Dana Estates, Saint Helena, CA RWRefrigB&WAd.R2.10506.qxd 3/26/07 6:54 PM Page 1 Biodynamic preparation 501 could be tested in a double-blind experiment. R Industrial/Commercial Services R QSEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #1137 134 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011 Winery Systems • Cold Storage • Process Cooling edwood efrigeration 707-766-8950 redwoodrefrig.com