Weingut Tement is one of Austria's best-known wineries and has been certified biodynamic since 2022. Alexander Lupersböck spoke to Armin Tement about his path to biodynamics and its future.
Armin Tement began converting to organic viticulture in 2006.
Herbert LehmannYou have two very challenging years behind you. Did you ever think about whether biodynamics would be a help or a hindrance?
Armin Tement: The work in the vineyards was so intense that we didn't really have time to think about it. Sometimes I had doubts as to whether we could manage it all. But then we harvested a few, but flawless, healthy grapes. You remember the good quality, you don't think about the effort anymore.
So no doubts?
Armin Tement: No. The main reason why we decided to go down this route was that we wanted to emphasise our identity and make our origins clearly tangible. We are getting better and better at this. My father said at the tasting before bottling our most important wine, the Sauvignon Blanc "Kalk&Kreide" 2023: "Now the wine tastes the way I imagined it twenty years ago." So we're on the right track.
How did the journey begin?
Armin Tement: When we made our first experiences with organic viticulture in 2006 and 2007, we didn't yet have the network and personal dialogue with colleagues that we have today. We agreed within the family to take this step. My brother Stefan and I wanted to convert everything straight away, but our parents put the brakes on us - and I'm grateful for that. They said: "Take it step by step." So we started with ten hectares of organic farming. Later on, it was no longer an issue for us not to use synthetic sprays because we had been doing it that way for a long time.
Southern Styria is different
Did you have advisors?
Armin Tement: Yes. But we soon realised that our region is so special that the advice that apparently shows results all over the world doesn't work here. Southern Styria is different. We realised that working organically does not simply mean replacing sprays and fertilisers. You have to prepare and build up your soil and your plants carefully and gradually. You have to promote soil life and make the soil healthier. You have to find out what works for each individual site. You have to recognise that not every variety grows optimally in every location. In conventional viticulture, this is probably not so noticeable in many years, but organic viticulture brutally exposes such shortcomings. If a variety is in the wrong location, you realise after three years at the latest that something is fundamentally wrong. You have to learn such things. We have been learning for ten years and are still learning every day. But in 2015 we were ready to say: now we're making it official.
Despite challenging conditions, Armin Tement believes biodynamics is a good fit for Styria.
Herbert LehmannWhen did you take the step towards biodynamics?
Armin Tement: We did our first trials in 2008 and 2009. I was a bit sceptical at first. But we got closer and closer on a small scale. So the switch from organic to biodynamic was not such a big step. We had a huge starting advantage because our parents gave us beautifully tended vineyards. The right varieties in the right locations, the age of the vines was already perfect at 15 to 20 years.
What tipped the scales in favour of conversion?
Armin Tement: All of our 50 employees and the entire family wanted it. And we are rewarded for it every day: you can see it in the vineyards, you can see it in the soil, in the grapes and also in the product itself, the wine. Back then, the humus content of the soil was almost zero. 20 years later, we have a humus content of four to five per cent. The soils are healthier today than they were back then.
That sounds almost idyllic.
Armin Tement: Well, to be honest, I have to say that we are only at the beginning. But a lot is still changing: in production, in the vineyard, in our approaches. We are trying to optimise this. Other wineries have been doing this for much longer and have found their cycle. We have also found a cycle, but we still want to improve it. We are working on many details. Just being organic or biodynamic is not enough. That says nothing about the quality of the wines. Both types of wine can be great, both can be terrible.
Biodynamics suits Styria very well!
Styria is not the easiest region to work biodynamically. High humidity, lots of rainfall, frost, hail and yet there are still many organic farms here.
Armin Tement: I see it like this: we may be at the limit with the conditions, but nature feels at home here and there is great diversity. There is a very special energy here. Perhaps biodynamics expresses all of this even more strongly. Water is the basis of all life. And we have enough water here, so biodynamics suits Styria very well.
Have you read Rudolf Steiner's texts or studied anthroposophy more closely?
Armin Tement: Partly. Steiner has various approaches, from which everyone can pick out the aspects that suit their situation and are practicable. For example, I can't always work with the cosmic rhythms, I also have to adapt to the weather.
Do you dynamise the preparations yourself?
Armin Tement: Stefan and I do it ourselves. We used to stir everything by hand. But with the quantities we need, that would take too much time. It's also physically demanding. And if I then spread negative energy because I'm in pain, that doesn't help either. I'm supposed to give the preparation positive energy. So we have an automatic mixing tank. I still spray around ten hectares myself by hand and enjoy doing it, it's a nice job. But in terms of quality, equipment can do it better today. We rely on the high-quality method. Nevertheless, we do both so as not to lose touch.
It is rare for a farm to be a member of both the Demeter and respekt-biodyn associations at the same time. Why are you a member of both?
Armin Tement: Demeter is an institution that is recognised worldwide as the biodynamic association par excellence. It's a great association of farmers, not just winegrowers. We have a very good dialogue. Different views are discussed. The regional groups and the farm talks, where farmers from all sectors come together, are great. There is a preparation group with fruit growers from Eastern Styria, from whom we were able to learn a lot. I like this broad spectrum. respekt-biodyn is a very dynamic viticulture group. There are now around 40 members from four countries. On the one hand, they are friends, but the training courses are also really great. Now the focus is on how climate change is altering grape varieties, how far they can be changed. We are discussing this and I am learning a lot.
Your Domaine Ciringa in Slovenia is also certified biodynamic. Is that a different bureaucratic effort?
Armin Tement: It's basically the same. The inspection body in Slovenia is not private, but nationalised. But the requirements are the same, even if we need the documentation twice. But we have the data, and the additional effort is then no longer so high, even between respekt and Demeter.
We need better craftsmanship and tools
Armin Tement: "Organic farms are constantly looking for innovations
Herbert LehmannHow do you see the future of biodynamics with regard to climate change in your area?
Armin Tement: It is unbelievable how intensively climate change is having an impact. Every day we deal with the question of how we can improve certain things or how we can exert influence so that we ourselves, the soil and the plants can cope with it. On the other hand, Styria is in an area where we can still grow in terms of quality. We don't - yet - have any problems with over-ripeness, too much sugar, too much alcohol, too little acidity. I don't think we've reached our peak yet. At the same time, organic farms are looking for innovations. I am convinced that it will only work with better craftsmanship. You need better tools for that. More data, more targeted application, more precise cultivation.
Do you use artificial intelligence?
Armin Tement: We are starting to do so. We have set up many measuring stations together with the STK wineries. Today, we still have to spray almost all vineyards when a problem arises. We probably also spray areas that don't even need it. With drones and AI, we could work more specifically where it is really necessary. I also think that autonomous devices could take on a lot more work. We've had a spraying robot for four years. We will still need a lot of people, but they may no longer have to sit at the tractor, but can do something else, something more valuable: Going into the vines, looking, monitoring. There are many aspects that will help us. The more people get involved with biodynamics, the better the techniques and the better the solutions.