What “biodynamic” really means at Jablan

We didn't set out to make a statement with our wines. We set out to make wines that taste like this hillside above Skadar Lake — the wild herbs, the warm stone, the lake breeze that comes up in the afternoon. Biodynamic farming, and the Demeter certification that comes with it, is simply the way we found to let that happen.

What biodynamic actually means here

Biodynamic farming treats the vineyard as a single living organism: the vines, the soil, the insects, the cover crops, the cats, all of it. No synthetic chemicals, no shortcuts. We work with composts and field preparations, follow the rhythms of the season, and intervene as little as we can get away with.

It's slower and it's more work. But the vines are healthier for it, and so is the wine. Demeter is the oldest and strictest biodynamic certification in the world, and earning it told us we were on the right path.

From the vine to the amphora

Once the grapes come in, the same hands-off philosophy carries through the cellar. Spontaneous fermentation with the wild yeasts already on the skins. No fining, no filtering. Some of the wines — the Dodir and the Kotso — age in Georgian qveri amphoras buried in the cellar floor, the way wine has been made for thousands of years.

The result is wine with a pulse: textured, savoury, a little unpredictable from one vintage to the next. That's the point.

Come taste the difference

The best way to understand a biodynamic wine is to drink it, ideally where it was made. Book a tasting or an e-bike tour, or order a bottle from the shop and bring a little of Skadar Lake home with you.