About this episode

The episode discusses practical steps towards biodynamic and organic winegrowing with Thijs Verschuuren, focusing on vineyard management and soil health.

In this episode, we dig into what it really looks like to take manageable, real-world steps toward biodynamic and organic winegrowing with Thijs (Taze) Verschuuren, Director of Vineyard Biology and biodynamic specialist at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard in New York's Finger Lakes. We follow Thijs's path from European wine regions to the Finger Lakes and unpack the make-or-break 2018 season. That side‑by‑side contrast pushed the team to fully embrace biodynamics and pursue Demeter certification. We break down biodynamics in practical terms: treating the farm as a living, self-sustaining organism that integrates cover crops, livestock, compost, and on-farm preparations to build resilience from the soil up. Then we zoom into vineyard floor management as an accessible entry point, showing how diverse clover mixes, smarter mowing vs. crimping decisions, and minimal cultivation helped boost soil organic matter from ~1.7% to over 6% in about seven years — one "baby step" at a time. In this episode, you will hear: Why a wet 2018 season pushed Hermann J. Wiemer to deepen its biodynamic commitment How biodynamics differs from organics in philosophy and farm design A practical framework for…

More episodes of Vineyard Underground

• 102: Baby Steps Towards Biodynamics & Organic Growing Practices - Part 2 with Thijs Verschuuren · July 21, 2026 · 1h 5m
• 100: 100 Episodes In: What's In, What's Out, and What's Next for the Vineyard Industry · June 23, 2026 · 34 min

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