Look to the moon before pouring a glass of wine

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Some people use astrology to guide various life decisions and apparently popular stores in the United Kingdom (Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Tesco) look to the moon for guidance for best wine tasting days as certain days may have an effect on tastiness.

Maria and Matthias Thun, the authors of the book When Wine Tastes Best 2010: A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers, claim each day can be defined as a "fruit, flower, leaf or root day" corresponding to the lunar calendar. The tastiness of wine is based on the moon's cycle making fruit and flower days ideal for drinking while leaf and root days are considered not good.

According to May 10 post on PSFK, a business culture blog, Jo Aherne, a winemaker at Marks & Spencer, said, "Our wines showed beautifully at a press tasting one day and far less well the next. We couldn't understand it. The wines were all favorites of ours and the bottles were all from the same case. Someone checked the calendar and we found that the first day had been a fruit day, when the wines were expressive, exuberant and aromatic, and the second a root day, when they were closed, tannic and earthy. Further rather unscientific tests have confirmed our view."

Not convinced that the biodynamic calendar can guide optimum days to savor and taste your favorite wines? Here are some thoughts from reputable wine sources, including Decanter and wine critic's site JancisRobinson.com:

- "Anyone saving those extra-special bottles for Christmas and the New Year might want to consult a new biodynamic tasting calendar - and hold off on the corkscrew." - Richard Woodward, Decanter.com

- "Whatever you think about biodynamic viticulture, it might be a fun experiment"- Julia Harding, Jancisrobinson.com

- "Any critics reading this (I'm sure there are one or two!) might like to know that according to the Thuns, and leading organic/biodynamic writer Hilary Wright, it has been shown that using biodynamic techniques can have a significant effect on the quality of produce." - Colin Harkness, Costa News

So the next time you pour a glass, try consulting the moon (free but may include strange looks) or Thun's book When Wine Tastes Best 2010: A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers available online for £3.99 (€4.63).

http://www.florisbooks.co.uk/books/9780863157257